Catching Up
Woke late (obviously catching up on sleep missed last week), and then my broadband connection wouldn't 'connect' - and only now (10.25) done so. This leaves me time only to reply to comments as have been asked by our daughter to bring a few things in to her this afternoon. Please remember that tomorrow I have my own appointment with the diabetic nurse at 10.00am, so will not be writing my blog tomorrow as not sure what time I will return home that day. Should be back with you again on Wednesday (Norma the Hair not coming this week).
So now - on to replying to your comments...
Loved reading your words "did a Shirley" Eileen. What you made proves that even 'using up' can make some things that others might call 'posh nosh' (Summer Puddings and croutons). Think this shows that a lot of 'good stuff' is not costly, it is the thought and (very little in some instances) effort that can go into making them.
You and I seem very alike cumbrian. We clear an empty space in the freezer then immediately fill it up again. But then the running costs are less if there are no gaps to keep chilling down once the door/lid is raised, so method in our madness.
Glad you managed (eventually) to post your comment Wen. It is annoying when the blog doesn't work as it should (which often seems the case with blogger.com).
Thanks to Sue15cat for the info on how to 'copy' an email address. Will give it a go, although I usually make a hash of anything I do that is new to me.
Good to hear from our latest 'commenteer' Julie. Your savoury tart sounded scrumptious. Hope you keep with this blog - can promise it will improve once our life has settled down again.
Re your mouldy loaves minimiser deb. It's always worth dividing a loaf up in half or quarters and freeze these - just keeping enough out for a day or two. Slices thaw rapidly and can be toasted from frozen. This way no bread need be wasted.
This always supposing you do have a freezer. Otherwise bread could be kept in the fridge, but for some reason it is said to stale more rapidly, but at least will hold mould at bay.
Bread is one of those products (like plain sponge cake, uncooked pastry etc) that can be frozen, then thawed, then re-frozen again. Preferably do this only once, but useful to know.
Regarding the chicken. Did I read you right: four meals for 1 from one bird? You should be able to make four meals for four from one 3 lb chicken. Did reprint an article of mine (from one of the freezer mags) that gave the recipes for this, but at the moment cannot remember what date they were posted. All I can remember is that one was a type of Chicken Pie, another was a Chicken Stir-fry, a third was a Chicken Terrine (that fed 8!), and think the fourth was Chicken Meatballs with pasta. The carcase would have been used to make stock, and with the vegetables in the stock and the little bits of cooked meat able to be picked from the carcase, that would have made Chicken Soup plus Chicken Stock as well.
If we can get away from thinking that chicken (cooked or raw) is just breast and quarters (or joints) and eaten as such then so much more can be made from it. But then that's taken me all of half a century to learn how to, and hopefully am now able to share my discoveries.
One find day gillibob (and it has to be a fine day as am only a fair weather 'scooter') we may be able to meet up on Morecambe front, along with Eileen and any other reader who might be in the vicinity on that day. Much depends upon what part of Morecambe your mother lives. We live in Bare, but all the prom is easy for me to reach on my scooter, due to having no roads to cross (other than the initial one to start off).
If you come by train you would go through Bare station (only a hundred or so yards from where we live) and if I knew the time I could sit at the level crossing and wave to you as you go through.
Well, that's caught up with my replies, and as I still have a few minutes to spare will catch up with yesterday's Goode life. It didn't go quite as planned. Did make a huge chilli con carne (one portion for B, the rest to be frozen to make three more meals), but unfortunately - letting B help himself (silly me) - he ate half of it. Then I ate one portion (well it did taste good), so only one portion left to freeze.
When making it, it didn't taste like it should, and think this was because for once I did not add finely chopped carrot and celery to the onions and meat. The carrots certainly give the necessary sweetness which offsets the acidity in the canned chopped tomatoes that were added. Decided to rinse out the last inch of tomato ketchup in the squeeze bottle and add this, and it worked very well indeed. All I needed to do then was stir in and heat through the can of drained red beans (the chilli 'mix' having been added earlier).
Feeling now that I could relax a bit more, settled down to watch Stephen Fry's prog on the English language, planning to watch Downton Abbey on 4+1 an hour later, but nodded off during the first prog, and never did wake up in time to watch D.A. but this will be repeated next Sunday afternoon so can (hopefully) watch it then. If not can watch it on ITV's version of iPlayer (but prefer to watch it on the 'proper' TV rather than the comp).
At the moment am fascinated by the 'How it's Made' progs on Quest. B also enjoys them. There was one the other day where a robot was moving parts of a lawn mower from one shelf to another, then from that to a conveyor belt. Nothing complicated at all (even I could have done that). As the presenter said, the robot was used instead of humans as it did the work faster. Seems that in many of the progs, robots do most (and sometimes all) the work. Considering that a big lawn mower is not everyone's need, then surely it would be better to employ people to move the parts than use a computerised robot? Much of the unemployment today is now cause by robots doing 'our jobs', and is it ALWAYS necessary to have something made that little bit faster? Seems that speed is of the essence, but as now we cannot afford to buy much at all, then either the stocks will pile up, or the robotic factories will have to close down.
There are other programmes that show practically everything is made by either machine controlled by a person, or almost entirely hand made. Suppose these are skilled work, but a pity that more don't take them up (as an apprenticeship) as many crafts are dying out.
With that thought will leave you as time is moving on, just a reminder that I won't be blogging tomorrow, but should be back on Wednesday, and then hope to meet up with you all again. Have a pleasant day.
So now - on to replying to your comments...
Loved reading your words "did a Shirley" Eileen. What you made proves that even 'using up' can make some things that others might call 'posh nosh' (Summer Puddings and croutons). Think this shows that a lot of 'good stuff' is not costly, it is the thought and (very little in some instances) effort that can go into making them.
You and I seem very alike cumbrian. We clear an empty space in the freezer then immediately fill it up again. But then the running costs are less if there are no gaps to keep chilling down once the door/lid is raised, so method in our madness.
Glad you managed (eventually) to post your comment Wen. It is annoying when the blog doesn't work as it should (which often seems the case with blogger.com).
Thanks to Sue15cat for the info on how to 'copy' an email address. Will give it a go, although I usually make a hash of anything I do that is new to me.
Good to hear from our latest 'commenteer' Julie. Your savoury tart sounded scrumptious. Hope you keep with this blog - can promise it will improve once our life has settled down again.
Re your mouldy loaves minimiser deb. It's always worth dividing a loaf up in half or quarters and freeze these - just keeping enough out for a day or two. Slices thaw rapidly and can be toasted from frozen. This way no bread need be wasted.
This always supposing you do have a freezer. Otherwise bread could be kept in the fridge, but for some reason it is said to stale more rapidly, but at least will hold mould at bay.
Bread is one of those products (like plain sponge cake, uncooked pastry etc) that can be frozen, then thawed, then re-frozen again. Preferably do this only once, but useful to know.
Regarding the chicken. Did I read you right: four meals for 1 from one bird? You should be able to make four meals for four from one 3 lb chicken. Did reprint an article of mine (from one of the freezer mags) that gave the recipes for this, but at the moment cannot remember what date they were posted. All I can remember is that one was a type of Chicken Pie, another was a Chicken Stir-fry, a third was a Chicken Terrine (that fed 8!), and think the fourth was Chicken Meatballs with pasta. The carcase would have been used to make stock, and with the vegetables in the stock and the little bits of cooked meat able to be picked from the carcase, that would have made Chicken Soup plus Chicken Stock as well.
If we can get away from thinking that chicken (cooked or raw) is just breast and quarters (or joints) and eaten as such then so much more can be made from it. But then that's taken me all of half a century to learn how to, and hopefully am now able to share my discoveries.
One find day gillibob (and it has to be a fine day as am only a fair weather 'scooter') we may be able to meet up on Morecambe front, along with Eileen and any other reader who might be in the vicinity on that day. Much depends upon what part of Morecambe your mother lives. We live in Bare, but all the prom is easy for me to reach on my scooter, due to having no roads to cross (other than the initial one to start off).
If you come by train you would go through Bare station (only a hundred or so yards from where we live) and if I knew the time I could sit at the level crossing and wave to you as you go through.
Well, that's caught up with my replies, and as I still have a few minutes to spare will catch up with yesterday's Goode life. It didn't go quite as planned. Did make a huge chilli con carne (one portion for B, the rest to be frozen to make three more meals), but unfortunately - letting B help himself (silly me) - he ate half of it. Then I ate one portion (well it did taste good), so only one portion left to freeze.
When making it, it didn't taste like it should, and think this was because for once I did not add finely chopped carrot and celery to the onions and meat. The carrots certainly give the necessary sweetness which offsets the acidity in the canned chopped tomatoes that were added. Decided to rinse out the last inch of tomato ketchup in the squeeze bottle and add this, and it worked very well indeed. All I needed to do then was stir in and heat through the can of drained red beans (the chilli 'mix' having been added earlier).
Feeling now that I could relax a bit more, settled down to watch Stephen Fry's prog on the English language, planning to watch Downton Abbey on 4+1 an hour later, but nodded off during the first prog, and never did wake up in time to watch D.A. but this will be repeated next Sunday afternoon so can (hopefully) watch it then. If not can watch it on ITV's version of iPlayer (but prefer to watch it on the 'proper' TV rather than the comp).
At the moment am fascinated by the 'How it's Made' progs on Quest. B also enjoys them. There was one the other day where a robot was moving parts of a lawn mower from one shelf to another, then from that to a conveyor belt. Nothing complicated at all (even I could have done that). As the presenter said, the robot was used instead of humans as it did the work faster. Seems that in many of the progs, robots do most (and sometimes all) the work. Considering that a big lawn mower is not everyone's need, then surely it would be better to employ people to move the parts than use a computerised robot? Much of the unemployment today is now cause by robots doing 'our jobs', and is it ALWAYS necessary to have something made that little bit faster? Seems that speed is of the essence, but as now we cannot afford to buy much at all, then either the stocks will pile up, or the robotic factories will have to close down.
There are other programmes that show practically everything is made by either machine controlled by a person, or almost entirely hand made. Suppose these are skilled work, but a pity that more don't take them up (as an apprenticeship) as many crafts are dying out.
With that thought will leave you as time is moving on, just a reminder that I won't be blogging tomorrow, but should be back on Wednesday, and then hope to meet up with you all again. Have a pleasant day.
posted by Shirley at 9:26 am
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