Bring out the Barbies!

Great news! The weather forecast is good for this coming week (and hopefully for longer). A high pressure area is coming up from southern Europe and pushing the two low pressure areas apart (these at present over the UK) and - wait for it - we can expect temperatures of 20C and possibly above. Yippee!

Do hope we have good weather for the Jubilee Street Parties. Have offered to make something for the 'sailing socials' six tables along the prom (six people at each table), and will find out what they want later this week. The previous day our daughter's 'village community' is having their own festivities, and she wishes me to make something for that too. Am really enjoying this 'cooking for others', it's good to feel useful again.

Spent another night sitting in my chair, and although my back was bad again late yesterday, it does seem to be slowly getting better. Will have to go to sleep in my bed tonight as sitting up is not good for my circulation, even though I do put my feet up on a pouffe. Let us hope the bed rest won't bring back my aches and pains.

Thanks for comments, and do wish to give a mention to Jane (and also everyone) about the storing of 'dry goods'. Even sealed packets can get unwelcome 'visitors' if not stored carefully. I remember decanting some grains (possibly cornmeal or similar) in a glass jar that had a cork stopper that fitted tightly, then left it on a shelf unused for some time. When I took it down noticed lots of gaps in the grain and also dark bits, and when checked discovered it was full of insects. There was no obvious sign of entrance, but the underside of the cork was 'rough', so can only believe the creatures were in the cork when I bought the set. Weevils can also get into bags of flour etc, (as I have found to my cost) so now always keep opened bags of flour in tightly sealed large Tupperware tubs.
Big metal sweet and biscuit tins (when empty) are useful for storing bags of grains (oatmeal, muesli, flour, rice etc, also dried beans). Glass jars of the Kilner variety good for holding smaller amounts.

Don't think I've ever envied people eating motorway service food minimiser deb, other than 'lucky them not to have to cook it themselves'. But do have a twinge of envy when I see the food served in the American diners when watching Man v Food. Not so much the huge bread rolls (about the size of our baguettes) but the lovely meat they use to fill it. At least it LOOKS good meat, and - being America - probably is. Although allegedly McDonalds in the UK have to make their burgers here using 'better meat' than that used in McD's in the US.

They always say Urbanfarmgirl that when we want something done we should always ask a busy person for they are more inclined to be able to 'fit it in', and this seems to be happening to you and people like you. Once we start 'helping out', then someone else feels they can ask, and then another, and so it goes on, none of them realising how much of our time it takes (or even so, if they really care). Every so often we should call a halt and remind them that we too 'have a life' and need to concentrate on that.

As you say Sarina, convenience foods (in the 21st century) are now part of our life, and no reason not to use at least some of them. We don't always appreciate that much of what we use on a regular basis is a 'convenient' food, such as tomato ketchup, brown sauce, made mustard, baked beans, dried pasta, stock cubes.... as all these a century or so ago were made from scratch (and can still of course be made this way today). I have still have a tin of Colman's dried mustard powder to use if I wish but still prefer to buy it ready made in pots, and I do have a pasta making machine that I now rarely use (but used to).

Most of us now buy meat ready minced, yet in my mother's day (and the early days of my marriage) meat was always bought in a piece and then minced at home (I still have an old Spong mincer, and an even older one that belonged to B's mother, neither of which I use now). So much we buy today has been made or prepared in some way, but we never think of these as a 'convenience' food. So as long as we take advantage when it doesn't cost us too much, there really is no reason to make EVERYTHING from scratch anymore. Ideally make a meal using as many fresh ingredients as possible, and then should allow ourselves some 'time-savers' when it really helps.

A couple more recipes for those who wish to spend the next few warm days sitting (and eating) outside in the sun rather than slaving over a hot stove.
This first recipe is meant to be served warm, but would also eat well cold. Use the quick-cook pasta penne for speed, standard pasta will add another 10 minutes to the cooking time.
Five Minute Warm Pasta Salad: serves 4
10 oz (300g) quick-cook pasta penne
4 tblsp mayonnaise
juice 1 small lemon (or half a large lemon)
1 x 200g can tuna in oil
2 red bell peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
handful watercress leaves
Cook pasta as per pack instructions. While this is cooking, drain the oil from the can of tuna into a container and set aside. Put the mayo into a bowl with the lemon juice and 1 tblsp of the reserved tuna oil (you can discard the rest of the oil) then mix together. Flake the tuna and add this to the bowl then mix well.
Drain the pasta and whilst still hot, add to the mayo mixture with the peppers and onions. Serve in individual bowls with the watercress leaves scattered on top.

Final recipe today is for an unusual omelette. Any pasta will do (long spaghetti or the smaller shapes), and as this has to be already cooked, another way to use up any pasta 'left-overs'. To save even more time make up cheese sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge (a really speedy cheese sauce can be made using a tub of creme fraiche mixed with grated Cheddar and/or crumbled Stilton cheese).
Ten Minute Pasta Omelette: serves 4
2 tblsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped or grated
2 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
1 x 125g can sweetcorn, drained
10 oz (300g) ready-made cheese sauce
7 oz (200g) cooked pasta (see above)
2 eggs, beaten
Put half the oil in a frying pan and add the onion. Cook for 3 minutes until softened, then using a slotted spoon, remove to a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
Put the remaining oil in the frying pan and when hot, tip in the pasta mixture, pressing it down with a spoon or fish slice to cover the base of the pan, then leave to cook over medium heat for 3 or so minutes until nearly set. Finish by placing under a pre-heated grill for a couple of minutes or until the top is golden.
Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Looks like being a glorious day today, and if warm enough am hoping to be able to hobble outside and have a sit in the sun. My back is now aching again so must go and take a pain-killer, so will say my farewell for today and hope we can all meet up again tomorrow. TTFN.

Carry the the Torch

Decided to sleep in my armchair last night in the hope this would ease my back - which it did. Still painful this morning, but not in the same place, has moved more into my right leg, but manageable. This meant I was awake early enough to watch the start of the Olympic flame being 'torched' at Land's End, and then carried by several torch-bearers a few hundred yards each.
With 8,000 torchbearers travelling 8,000 miles, this must mean the torch travels some miles with only one 'bearer' and this I understand will sometimes be 'in convoy' (taken in a van rather than jogged on foot) over land where there will be no spectators. Had to smile when they kept saying 'this is the very flame that was lit by the sun's rays in Athens'. I've always understood the flame comes from what is being burnt at that very moment (in the case of the torch - gas), and for that matter, with 'the flame' being carried over to England in four pit lanterns (three being 'back-up', let us hope they used the 'original' flame to start off ours. And - if for some reason - the torch flame goes out when being carried, the 'mother flame' is being carried to re-light it. But that is being a bit picky of me I suppose. Should join in the celebrations and just enjoy the moment. Which, to some extent, I did.
At least good to see blue skies and the sun shining in Cornwall. It is very gloomy (again) here today.

Thanks for your comments, Apologies to Les as I got his measurements wrong. I did jot down the correct one but then got it mixed up with the 3 minutes 'brewing time' he also told us to do. Have to say, Les really seems to know what he is talking about, and feel that he should start up his own site explaining the correct way to cook (and cooking IS more scientific than most of us realise)- for myself seem to be sadly lacking in that knowledge. Almost feel I shouldn't be writing about cooking any more.

My sciatica used to be 'cured' when I too lay flat on my back (on a hard floor) Lynne, but now I'm so old and still 'heavy', would find it difficult to get down on the floor, and even more difficult getting up. When I first trapped my sciatic nerve the doctor told me I needed to go to hospital to have 'traction', but we'd only recently moved to Leeds, my mother then still lived in Leicester (a year later moving to live close to us), and I knew no-one. My Beloved was working away from home and three of the children were ill with tonsillitis, so I had to stay with them. Was given sleeping pills for night-time and told to stay sitting up in a chair, and even sleeping in the chair if that was the most comfortable. Took me three months to get walking around again without the aid of sticks. Fortunately, since then, am usually only 'chair-bound' for a few days at the most.

That was a brilliant idea you had Lynne - using the fabric from a duvet cover to make a dress, and as you say, money-saving can go beyond home-cooking, and this is probably a sensible way, for often we don't feel like 'slaving away over a hot stove' all the time, and 'a change is as good as a rest'. These old sayings certainly make sense. One of my favourites is 'too many cooks spoil the broth' because I really like to work in the kitchen by myself, although 'many hands make light work' would work if someone else took over the preparation or washing up, but again as long as I wasn't also in the kitchen (they would get in my way!).

When we moved here brought all our bed linen with us, some of it from our original double bed. Here we have two single beds (pushed together) but tend to make these up separately with single sheets, and we each have our own duvet. This means I have quite a few double sheets, although still use these occasionally as our mattresses are deeper than the 'old' ones, and the fitted sheets are not deep enough to tuck under and keep sliding around (so I anchor these at the under corners of the mattress with nappy pins - this works well).

One deep blue double sheet I use as a table cloth when our dining table is extended to seat eight, do the same with the white sheets. This works well.
Have also a set of single bed linen in what I believe to be similar to Black Watch 'plaid'. This being a duvet cover, a semi-fitted sheet with valance, and two pillow cases. The material would look good in our (dark-oak panelled) dining-room, so may use it to re-cover the dining chair seats, and could also make curtains with it for the patio doors. Or it could be used as a table cloth to match the seat covers. Really must stop thinking about what can be done and and get on with the 'doing'.

Thanks to Catriona and Campfire for their comments re the Dyson cleaner. The most sensible thing for me I suppose is to go to Curry's or somewhere and take a look at what is on sale. There is a small Dyson advertised on TV that might be suitable, and Curry's give a discount if you hand in an old vacuum cleaner, but am wondering if my original - and still working - Hoover would have more value as a collector's item.

B brought in a loaf from Morrison's (he was calling in there to buy his lemonade) as we were running out. The plan was we'd never buy another loaf, but all I wanted to do yesterday was sit and take the pain away and this was the only alternative (or do without for a day). There was a time when B once 'learned' how to make a loaf using a bread mix, and seemed to enjoy doing this (but not very successfully as he hadn't the patience to wait for the dough to double in bulk), but now he seems to have (conveniently) forgotten how to, and expects me to make the as and when needed. Yesterday he could have had another try ( e have plenty of bread mix), but buying a ready-made loaf is easier. I suppose.

Buying everything ready made is easier, and sometimes can understand why people do just this, especially when I am tired and not in the mood to do anything at all, and it does seem how easy it is to fall into the trap of buying rather than making, probably because it has become so normal a way of life. At one time people bought material and always made their own clothes (or a 'little woman round the corner made them for us ). Buying 'off the hanger' in shops was quite a low-class thing to do before the first World War, and for a time after World War II.
Most people knitted their own wool jumpers, pullovers, gloves, scarves, socks etc - right up to the 50's, then when man-made fibres such acrylics suddenly came on the scene, the 'knitwear' was then mass produced and instead we bought what would have been normally made at home.

Convenience foods started in Victorian time (well, things like gravy browning, custard powder and the like), and since then has never looked back. We can eat nothing but the 'ready mades' and live reasonably healthily without ever needing a kitchen. Just a sink, electric kettle, a toaster and a microwave is all that is needed. And a fridge/freezer if we don't want to shop daily.

B and I could probably exist well if I ordered those plated meals for the elderly and disabled (to be thawed/cooked in the microwave), as we rarely have more than toast and marmalade (both of which can be bought) in the morning. But as ever - a life of convenience is a life of great expense (compared to the cost of making most of it ourselves). Have to say that a 'carvery meal' is far better value (a LOT more for your money) than buying a home-delivered meal as described above.

Twentyfirst century cooking should combine at least SOME 'convenience' foods, purely to save us a lot of time. We can of course cook everything from scratch (and possibly many of us still do), but myself find using a jar of a good brand of curry sauce (bought when on offer), save me having to stock up with all the necessary spices (which lose their flavour within a very short time). This may add a few more pennies to a dish (but then spices are not that cheap), but when cooking in bulk, tend to 'spread the financial load' and still end up making a saving.

Anyone who believes it really isn't worth making a meal (or any food for that matter) and would rather buy everything, will always end up with poor quality food compared with the same made at home. Fancy eating what our grandmother's used to make themselves? Then just check out the price for the same (but not quite as good) on sale today. This doesn't mean we can't use SOME 'convenient' ingredients as am pretty sure our ancestors would if they had the chance (but only if affordable and it makes sense - not just pure laziness).

Today home-cooked 'style' jars of jam or marmalade, pickles etc can set us back up to and over £3 when bought over the counter, and that for quite a small size. We can make the same thing ourselves for a sixth of the price (and for even less if we grow our own fruit).
We see the same thing when it comes to 'quality' cakes and biscuits on sale. The 'quality' cooked and sliced meats, and also 'artisan' baked bread. Goodness me, if we bought everything to the same 'quality' as could be made at home we would be spending hundreds of pounds a week. And this I believe some people still do!

Doesn't it make us feel good that we can serve food fit for a king/queen and for (relatively) only a few pennies? Well, if it doesn't, then it should. All too often we 'home-cooks' don't realise our worth. When we feel we are being taken for granted, worth reminding the family we don't HAVE to bother, we could (like many others) buy the 'readies' but to do this would need the 'housekeeping budget' to be at least doubled - and maybe trebled. Not, of course, that this necessarily would work - I've tried it, but rarely get more than a grunt of appreciation from my B for his meals, with never a rise in housekeeping since I first proved (about half a century ago) that I could really manage to spend less on food.

At that time, my monthly housekeeping was meant to cover EVERYTHING: food, clothes, presents, pocket money etc...for not just me and he children - we had four teenagers at that time (and a Labrador), but this 'allowance' only just about covered the food (remember I hadn't learned about how to 'cost-cut' the cookery then - and food prices had already begun to rise when we 'turned decimal'). The story of how I ran out of money altogether and had to make meals for a month with what was in the larder and what I could get 'for free', is a story too often told, but this did cut costs by half, and have never need to ask for more money from B, ever after adding pennies to my purse from my own efforts (making and selling crafts etc). But this wasn't a bad thing, for I wouldn't be sitting here writing to you now if this hadn't taught me that the old ways are best - like always make it yourself. It's always worked out MUCH cheaper!

All too often these days I feel I'm sitting on fences, but at least the grass can be always greener on both sides when we look at it the right (or wrong) way, and it doesn't hurt to jump down occasionally and mow a few lines in the turf to see what we can discover. One side the grass may be easier to cut than another, but the mower used by the neighbours is darn expensive, and the grass itself is a bit coarse and 'weedy'. On the other (our) side of the fence we may need to sharpen the old mower blades quite often, and push a bit harder, but once cut the lawn will look as smooth as the most expensive billiard table, and will be a delight to see and walk upon. Ya boo to the people who live the other side of the fence say I.
In other words, a little effort in the kitchen can pay dividends. Well I could have said that in the first place instead of writing a page of nonsense. But then you know me - a head full of nothing of any use whatsoever that I like to share.

Have a few easy recipes that are worth a mention. We all need easy from time to time (me - most of the time, despite I have enough hours in the day to spend cooking).

We can reduce the cooking time in this first recipe down to five minutes if we use quick-cook pasta (any kind) and use left-over cooked veg. Otherwise using the recipe as given it will take three times a long to cook.
Ten Minute Minestrone: serves 4
1.75 pint (1 ltr) hot vegetable stock
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
4 oz (100g) thin spaghetti, broken to short lengths
12 oz (350g) frozen mixed vegetables
3 tblsp pesto (opt)
grated Parmesan cheese
Put the tomatoes into the pan of hot stock and bring to the boil, then add the spaghetti and cook for 6 or so minutes or until just al dente, then add the veggies and bring back to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes until everything is cooked. Serve in bowls drizzled with pesto (if using) and sprinkle with cheese.

This next recipe uses cooked pasta - so worth boiling extra pasta to save for this dish (it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. To avoid cold cooked pasta sticking itself together, drain well and toss with a little olive oil before cooling. Don't toss in butter as this congeals when cooled). If wishing to make this from scratch, use 7oz/200g dried pasta (penne or fusilli etc). Another canned bean could be used such as pinto, borlotti, haricot, butterbeans etc).
Five minute Tuna Pasta Salad: serves 4
about 1 lb (450g) cooked pasta shapes (see above)
1 x 100g can tuna (pref in oil)
1 x 400g cannellini beans isee above)
1 small red onion, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
two tbslp chopped fresh parsley
Put the cooked pasta into a microwavable bowl and heat for a couple of minutes to warm up, then add the remaining ingredients (having warm pasta means this will help to absorb the flavours - but the pasta can be used chilled). If not eating immediately, cover and keep in the fridge where it can stay happily for a couple or three days.

Another speedy dish to make (well, perhaps more a 'snack') but worth thinking about when you finished peeling off those scraps of chicken from the carcase after making stock. Am assuming you have the rest of the 'makings' in your larder/fridge etc. If not, why not?
It's a (five minute) Wrap!: serves 4
quarter of a cucumber, halved and sliced
chunk of iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
couple of spring onion, sliced
few fresh mint leaves torn
4 mini-naan breads or pitta breads
5 oz (150g) cooked chicken pieces
1 tsp tikka curry paste
1 tsp sunflower or olive oil
natural yogurt for serving
Put the cucumber, lettuce, onion and mint together in a bowl and toss to mix. Heat the chosen bread in the microwave for a minute until puffed up, then cut in half and open into pockets. Blend the curry paste with the oil and brush this over the chicken. Pop this into the microwave to for a couple or so minutes to heat through then stuff the bread 'pockets' with salad, chicken and a dollop of yogurt. Serve and eat.

Final recipe today is another that uses pre-cooked chicken (the cheapest ALWAYS being that cooked meat left to be picked from the carcase - and don't forget we can often get quite a lot of 'free' meat from those chicken carcases the butcher gives to his customers to cook for making chicken stock. Allow extra time for the little preparation needed, the 10 minutes is cooking time.
Make extra then chill the surplus to eat cold for lunch the following day (either at home or take to work in your lunchbox) with or without a salad.
Ten minute Chicken Couscous: serves 4
1 tblsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
7 oz (200g) cooked chicken cubed or shredded
2 tsp grated root ginger
1 - 2 tsp harissa paste
8 no-soak apricots
1 x 220g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
7 fl oz (200ml) hot chicken or vegetable stock
Put the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for a couple of minutes until softened, then add the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes until heated through and the onions are turning golden. Add the grated ginger and harissa and give a good stir to coat the chicken and cook for one further minute.
Add the apricots, chickpeas, couscous and stock. Give a good stir, remove from heat and cover with a lid or tightly with foil, then leave to stand for 5 minutes until the couscous has absorbed the stock and has softened. Fluff up with a fork and serve immediately.

My Beloved has just come in and informed me he is out for the day at a 'sailing jumble' (whatever that is) somewhere reasonably local (or maybe not), and will be eating out and can make his own supper (probably an omelette). At least that gives me a day to myself so I can relax again in my arm chair.
I've already done a load of washing (even managed to remember to stagger out during my 'blogging' to switch the knob round to the next cycle - it sticks if you recall), and am now going to make myself some 'brunch' and enjoy reading the new TV supplement, marking the progs I wish to watch during the week. B tells me there is a footie match on tonight that he will be watching, so may decide any baking today will be done this evening. Doubt I will risk going to bed again until my back is back to normal.

Am already looking forward to tomorrow's 'chat' with you, so hope you find time to join me. See you then.

Have We Gone a Step Too Far?

I have to take Les' 'words of advice' (comment sent with an earlier posting) with a pinch of salt. He has to be having us on. Who on earth would feel it necessary to know the precise measurements (3mm from the top) when filling a mug with boiling water to make tea. I don't even know what 3mm measure in 'real money' (as still work in feet and inches, and please Les don't tell me the conversion as I really don't wish to know). Assuming that 3mm is close to the top of a mug, this then wouldn't leave any room to add milk because carrying the mug to another room would probably make the contents slop all over the place. In any case, some people want more milk than others, so the amount of space left at the top of the mug will need to differ.

We have to remember that even when being so precise when cooking this doesn't mean that the end result is always as good as it could be. We have only to watch 'Great British Menu' to realise that the top of the range appliances still don't give the quality of flavour that the chef/judge expects. Our grandmothers could cook fabulous foods without any need of thermometers, tape measures and the like. In those days they just stuck a hand in their oven,. counted the seconds to how long they could keep it there before they pulled it out screaming, and they could then judge whether the oven was 'cool', 'warm', or 'hot'.

There are people who know everything needed to know about cooking, and they still can't make a meal better than 'standard'. Others know little but cook the most wonderful food. Everyone seems to have a 'leaning' towards one type of cooking. My daughter makes the most wonderful cakes (far better than mine), and my mother made superb pastry. I can't do either to their standard even though I follow instructions to the letter. But I can make good desserts, and sometimes quite good biscuits and a few other things too and (thankfully) all without the need of precision.

If anyone is interested in 'ways' of cooking/presenting, there will be a Biscuit Festival to be held at the Brunswick Centre on 8th - 10th June. Loads of different demos and displays, all based on biscuits, and this includes a 'scientific section' (am sure you would enjoy this Les).
I was sent full details, and there is a lot going on from competitive cooking (who bakes the best biscuits), to pictures made from biscuits. Also many other displays. To find out more go to Twitter@BiscuitFestival, and there is also a Facebook entry under 'the Brunswick' something or other. As I don't 'do' Twitter or Facebook will have to leave it to those who do to find out more.
Again rather sorry that it has to be biscuits that leads the way when it comes to current food demos. Biscuits are a luxury not a necessity, and to be shown how to make is not really useful in this time of recession. Wish instead there were demos on how to make really nutritious but very inexpensive meals. Or is that boring?

When much younger, was put off' cooking when I kept reading 'how to' written by professional cooks and domestic science teachers. It was the 'exactness' and the 'scientific' parts they kept talking about that really made me feel cooking wasn't meant to be enjoyable. It was to be done properly (or not at all).
Today we occasionally find the same thing happening, and a novice cook needs a much more relaxed approach to cooking than having to worry when the scales show 0.1g more than they should. I have seen TV cooks carefully remove the 0.1g to show the scales reading exactly the correct amount and this then makes us believe that such accuracy is very, very important. And of course it isn't. Or at least - very rarely.

Another thing that bugs me is the way the media lead us to believe certain 'facts' to be set in stone. For example, yesterday there was an article in the newspaper (well two, side by side) and the first was headed by "£132,000 shock facing families".
Apparently families are underestimating the cost of major family 'milestones', and although 'parents believe it will cost just over £73,000 to bring up their first child, in reality they will have to pay out more than double that, £165,648.'
Also, 'A wedding is also likely to cost a couple £20,273 in comparison to an optimistic estimate of £8.365'.

'One of the most significant underestimates was university debt, which most reckoned to be £9,541. In fact with university fees set to reach £9,000 this year, the true cost of uni debt is likely to be around £43,500, the report said.'

This brings me to the second article, this on university 'degrees without much hard work'. The report says that 'thousands of students are gaining degrees with relatively little work, and the finding raises an 'uncomfortable question' about degree standards, and students in England 'by and large; devote 'far less effort' to work that students in most other European countries'. Well we all know that many students seem to spend a lot of the time at uni doing other things other than studying, then after uni spend a gap year travelling all round the world as if earning a wage to pay it all back isn't really THAT important.

In our family, most seem to have managed to reach a good level of employment without having a uni degree. Some admittedly have got qualifications via night school/adult education, but still managed to hold a job down at the same time. Many of their friends have uni degrees and then not managed to find any work that can make use of their specialised subjects. I know of one very clever young man (degree in Cosmology) has been out of work for a good 20 years (at interviews always 'too qualified') and has only been able to find work at a McDonald's (no degree necessary there!). Another well-qualified student ended up as a milkman (although owning his own round).
A school friend of my son's (a complete failure according to his mother) didn't go to uni, but eventually took a short management course, then ended up with first one, then two milk rounds, at the same time buying run-down property, doing it up and letting it to students, then selling the property, buying more. During this time he ended up in a top management job with the local Milk-Marketing Board, and last seen (B delivered flowers to his house) living in a very expensive property on the outskirts of Leeds, and doing very well thank you. A mini Alan Sugar you could say, all because he ended up 'doing his own thing' and most successfully.

Those who take the normal school exams (and not even up to A level) seem to get on far better anyway. They 'work on the job', either an apprentice (to get City and Guilds certificate), with probably a 'day release' at the local college to gain the necessary qualifications. This usually takes no longer than a university course, and is much, much cheaper. Especially as youngsters can usually live at home and still romp around with their old friends.

Many students today go for a degree in 'media studies', with the hope (I expect) of working with the BBC or other radio/TV company. Well, when I used to do a weekly cookery spot with BBC Radio Leeds (and this for many, many years), became familiar with the panic that the 'staff' had twice a year. Seems their contracts were all for six-months only. When that time was up their contracts were not automatically renewed (even if their work was impeccable), they had to re-apply and quite often their place taken by a student as their 'work experience'. A fully qualified student would probably be paid less anyway, so it was always to the Beebs advantage to go for those who were paid the least.
If contracts were not renewed (and while I was there many were not), this usually meant that although the staff could still find work within the BBC, it was usually in other areas of the country, which then meant moving away from family/friends.

Although my last 'stint' with the BBC had been for about 10 years without a break, one day I turned up at the regular time and was met with surprised faces. "You won't be needed any more' I was told "the programmes have been changed". Yet no-one had bothered to inform me, and I never had a 'thank you' for the work I'd done over the year.
A month or so later, the Beeb rang up to see if I was available as someone hadn't turned up and they needed me to fill that slot, but I said I was sorry but I had another commitment. They were very annoyed about that. Serve 'em right. The next time they rang for the same reason, I also 'had another appointment'. Never heard from them since.

Back to the 'cost of living'. Why is a wedding so expensive? Probably because too much emphasis is placed on getting someone else to do all the planning. Just think how much it costs to buy a wedding dress, or have the wedding cake made. Add to that the cost of flowers and the reception (venue and food) and then the honeymoon (seems this now has to be in the Seychelles). Yet all too often, a year later and many couples then get divorced. This I know to be true as this has happened to several friends of mine who paid out THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS for the weddings of their offspring, and to what end?

Ignoring university fees etc, we are told that it costs thousands of £££ to rear our children. Well, it probably would cost a lot if we go 21st century and use nothing but disposable nappies, and feed our children 'formula', and numerous baby foods, right through toddler age, and then buy 'ready-meals' especially prepared for children. A new pram or buggy costs a fortune, clothes too (and they all have to be almost designer clothes these days). Again this is commercial 'brain-washing' to peel £££s from our purses, and - heaven forbid - we should never think of making any of the above ourselves.

Sorry to keep repeating this but in 'my day', we breast fed children, then pureed home-cooked food to give them when weaning, and from then on they ate what we ate - but always home-cooked. Nappies were reusable made from terry towelling and muslin. True this meant a lot more washing, but nowadays people have washing machines and tumble driers, and in my day we didn't have any of these, so today washing nappies is easy peasy.
Our prams were bought second-hand, and so were the cots, and most baby clothes were either hand-knitted or sown by hand or machine. The only things we really needed to buy were proper shoes when babes got to toddler stage. A second child was were even cheaper as they had the 'hand-me-downs' (nappies, clothes etc) and this includes pram/cot/toys.

Toys were usually given as gifts by relatives, but I did buy quite a lot of books (Ladybird, Observer books etc, also jigsaws) which the children loved to read/use. In my childhood to teenage years my favourite books were by Enid Blyton, and my children also enjoyed these. There were of course other (and probably better) books they read like 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' series, 'The Borrowers', the Arthur Ransome series, and of course Alice in Wonderland et al, and the A.A.Milne (Winnie the Pooh) books.

Is it just our nation or a global thing when it comes to 'everything has to be bought' these days? Are we really so lazy we can't be bothered, or have we just lost the old skills and don't even realise there is a much cheaper way to get what we want?

Yesterday happened to switch on TV at 12.30 and was able to watch the second half of 'Superscrimpers', given as a repeat but I didn't recall every seeing that episode before. Missed the first part but it was something to do with a man believing that cheap 'value' food would taste awful, so their food budget was very high due to buying 'quality' meals (some of which I believe were 'ready meals'). The wife was shown how to buy cheaper products, then cook them, and the husband did a 'taste-testing' and believed the home-cooked was the more costly of the two, so he was (partly) convinced. The next thing they had to do was entertain several friends again making the meal using all 'value' priced ingredients, and all the guests thought the food was absolutely great. Couldn't believe how cheap it was (under £2 a head for 3 courses).
From then on that family would be spending far less on their food, and of course cooking more meals at home instead of buying 'readies' and 'take-aways'.

Thing that seemed to come across was that the family (above) seemed to have no idea that home-cooking would taste as good but still be much cheaper. It was as if they'd never cooked anything from scratch before. In fact the wife very proudly told her guests that she'd made the dish 'from scratch' (as though that was something to be amazed at - and the guests were impressed).

It is difficult for me to believe there could be so many families out there who have never eaten any home-cooked meals. Perhaps several generations have come and gone without anyone doing any real 'cooking', so understandable that now there could be many who don't even know one end of a wooden spoon from the other. How sad is that?
Will this recession bring home-cooking back into fashion? Let us hope so, for it is the only way we can keep our heads above water when it comes to managing our budget. But not only cooking - we need to pass on any skills we have, knitting, crochet, sewing, dressmaking... otherwise the future for our grandchildren could be very bleak.

Now to your comments.
I have seen some ants in our conservatory Campfire, but not enough to be concerned with. However think a spray of our ant-killer around the fitted carpet edges might be a good idea.
Am needing to buy a new vacuum cleaner (I prefer an upright with good suction, that also has a 'tube' that gets into corners and along shelves and ledges). The cleaner we have is a Hoover Junior, bought for us by my mother when we moved into our first house (mid 1950's!!!) so you can tell how old it is, but it still works, but not as well as the more modern ones. Anyone know of the best type to buy? Need a fairly lightweight one, and am thinking about a Dyson. Your advice would help me to choose.

Liked the sound of your 'community garden' Lisa, it sounds as though anyone can help themselves - or is it just for local residents, or a church project?
Not sure if envy you your weather, your daytime temp (30C) is higher than our hottest summers day, think that 29C is about our max, and this happens very, very, rarely (like once every 20 years or so). Temperatures in the 80F, is hot to us.
Your night temperature (13C) is much cooler than your day, and is more than we are getting in Morecambe during our day (our nights recently being minus deg.C) but is the same as the daytime temperature in some areas down south.
This unseasonably cold weather is making me wonder if the Gulf Stream is shifting. If global warming is melting the icecaps in the Arctic, this could cause a shift. If I was younger (and the way England is rapidly going downhill) would seriously think about emigrating to Australia.

Norma (the Hair) was on holiday in Spain last week, somewhere near Benidorm, and she said the weather was glorious, the 'natives' said it was hotter than usual at this time of year. Her hotel holiday was 'all inclusive' (this means food and drink is always available, and have as much as you like any time of the day for no extra charge. That's my type of holiday).
Norma said 'the oranges were to die for', huge and very sweet (grown in Spain), found the same thing when I once had a holiday in Tunisia. Oranges given freely on the plane and in the hotel, all huge and very sweet. Definitely think I'm living in the wrong part of the globe. Although, having said that, there is no place so pretty and enchanting as England (in fact the whole of the British Isles) once we get out of the cities. At the moment (at least in our area) many woods are carpeted in bluebells, and this is one of the loveliest sights to behold. Also smells wonderful.

Am rambling again...so back to comments.
Do know that Lakeland used to sell packs of paper circles especially to layer between burgers Kathryn, but am sure you could use squares (easier than cutting circles) of baking parchment. Myself would use 'layering tissue' (another Lakeland product) as this is thinner and works out cheaper. The one to avoid is cling-film as this is believed to have some adverse effect when it touches protein (but I could be wrong).

Liked the sound of your cooking Jane, especially your 'frugal' trifle. This is the good thing about amassing a variety of stores, we can then make a wide variety of dishes from them, usually cheaply.
Minestrone is a favourite soup of mine, but with having a 'bypass' Jane, do you have to blitz it before you eat it?

Think that's it for today. Had a very bad night last night due to my back aching again (although it had improved during the day suddenly got worse). This morning it has taken me ages to get from one room to another, inching my way along with little squeals of pain. Sitting in this chair at my comp doesn't help much as my back seems to 'set' and once up and walking again more little 'oohs and ouches' come from my mouth. Am hoping it will soon settle down.

Yesterday put a lamb shank into a deep foil container (it once held a turkey breast and a perfect size to hold a lamb shank), and to this added some halved small potatoes and a little red wine to mix in with the thawed lamb gravy. Covered it with foil and put it into the oven, and got B to switch it on an hour before he wanted supper. He had then only to 'cook' some frozen peas in the microwave, then dish up the lot. Of course when it came to supper time he decided he didn't want it then, so got him to put the oven down to 100C, and leave the shank ther. Fortyfive minutes later he got up and went and put the peas in the microwave and got the shank/spuds from the oven and presumably ate it all. Doubt the meat/spuds would have come to much harm as it the oven was then around 'holding temperature'.
Myself didn't feel like eating anything other than a large orange. This has helped to reduce my weight by about 3 lbs, so something good has come from my having to sit in my chair most of the day (in other words too painful to get into the kitchen to open a tin of Spam!).

Think it's Friday (again). Doesn't time fly when you get old? At least readers who go out to work have the weekend to look forward to. Relax if you can, but do hope you manage to find the time to do at least SOME home-cooking. Please keep those comments coming to give me the pleasure of reading them tomorrow, when I hope you will again be logging on for our morning 'chat'. See you then.

Oh, My Aching Back!

Early the other morning, deciding it was too early to get up, ended up spending an hour lying flat on my back thinking about life in general. A great mistake! When I got up could barely move for the pain. Normally I always sleep on my right side, and occasionally turn and lie of my left side, this doesn't cause too much trouble, but when on my back - obviously does.
A good forty years ago lifted up a crate of empty bottles that had been in the middle of our living room floor for a month (despite asking B to shift it, so as ever - ended up doing it myself) and slipped a disc! Had a trapped sciatic nerve and since then have occasional 'bad backs' where sometimes the only way to relieve it was to lie flat on my back on the floor for days (and days).

Since then have bought myself a very firm mattress which helps no end, but once I sleep in 'the wrong position' this is almost guaranteed to make my back ache again. It was silly of me to believe that as I haven't had a bad back for several years, the problem was over.
So - at the moment - am hobbling around the house using a walking stick for support (and this really has been helping) and today the pain is far less. Hopefully by tomorrow will be almost back to normal.
Thankfully B offered to make his own supper yesterday: ham, egg and oven chips. He seemed to managed that successfully once he knew what temperature the oven had to be on, and how long the chips had to be cooked (he could have looked on the bag for these details, but as ever runs back and forth to me to ask).
Myself didn't eat much yesterday and just as well for horrors upon horrors, I seem to have gained nearly a stone since I had my weigh-in at the beginning of this month. Due entirely to me eating all the 'naughty' things (as I always do after a weigh-in as it will be six months before the next). Time now for me to stop and bring my weight back to what it was, then try (and I do mean TRY!) to get it down even further. Still need to lose a couple of stone (who am I kidding, need to lose at least 3 more), before I am at 'fighting weight'.

Checked up Tudor Close Hotel on the Internet before I began blogging today, and there was an old photo that seemed to be the view from what I recall as the internal quadrangle. Was almost sure we entered the building from the road at first floor level, so perhaps there was another and higher road the opposite side of the building. The old photos of the village were not much different to when we stayed there, the village pond, Rudyard Kipling's house, the shops etc. How sad it is that places can change so much in a life-time. Progress I suppose, but not always for the best.

Sorry to hear your choux buns stuck to the paper Jane. Not sure why this should be other than perhaps you removed them from the oven too soon. Once fully baked the bases (and tops) are so dry and crisp they just slide from the paper. I've successfully baked choux pastry on greased and floured baking sheets and these also are easy to remove, but only when fully baked. Do hope you have another go.
Myself don't add sugar to the pastry, but do add icing sugar to double (or whipping) cream when whipping it to fill the buns. The chocolate on top also gives extra sweetness. Some recipes do suggest adding a little sugar when making the pastry, so it all depends which recipe is followed. I haven't always had success with other recipes, but have to say 'my' recipe seems to be foolproof.

We have a comment from Lynda (in the US) who I believe is a new 'commenteer', so very welcome. Hope you will write again.
I've always believe food in the US to be cheaper than in Britain Lynda, certainly when we visited America some 17 or so years ago it WAS very inexpensive (but then the rate of exchange was good ($2 = £1). Also meat (esp beef and chicken) seem MUCH cheaper than over here (at least watching the Man v Food progs and seeing the prices marked on the chalkboards leads me to believe this - considering how much meat is served per portion. Much depends upon who sells the meat here (supermarkets to quality butchers), but topside beef can be anything from £4 per lb (£8 per kg) upwards. Pork is getting more expensive and lamb very expensive.

You must be getting better weather in Missouri Lisa, to be able to be doing all that gardening. You must have a big plot to grow all that food, but how wonderful you are able to, for it certainly keeps costs down. Over here it is still very chilly. Would you believe they had snow in the Midlands a couple of days ago, and huge hailstones further south? The night before last the temperature was minus 2 deg C, and still expected to stay in single figures (9C) during today (here in the north west). The long-term weather forecast say we should expect the weather to stay the same until at least the Jubilee Celebrations (early June) and maybe then to expect rain (we always expect rain!).

Am pretty sure it WAS in Philadelphia that Man v Food prog was filmed. In fact the presenter asked that slices of 'real cheese' be placed on top of his meat, then grilled instead of the usual Cheese-Whiz. His final piece of 'sub' he did allow to be topped with Cheese-Whiz, and then that came from a tap!

Don't suppose it matters whether tea is served in a cup or a mug these days (especially when T bags are used), but as you say minimiser deb a mug made of china is certainly better than using an earthenware mug when tea-leaves are used. In the old days, the cooks saved all the used tea-leaves, then these (whilst still damp) would be sprinkled by the maids over the carpets and then brushed off. All the dust and dirt would be held by the leaves and kept the carpets very clean. This in the days before vacuum cleaners of course, but worked well then, and probably would do the job as well today.

The other day said I would probably go out with Norris and have a bit of a 'naughty' (like buying something I didn't really need). When it came to it, couldn't do it. So stayed at home. Being naughty is not really me, for have found it always ends up with me feeling guilty, and this lingers far longer than those few minutes of enjoying myself. These days it is not very often I feel like leaving the house at all. My mother used to be the same, when I was in my teens she hardly ever went out, I used to do all her shopping for her, and in those days most foods were delivered anyway. So this solitariness of mine is either how I expected life would be once married, or its in my genes.
Not that I feel I'm missing much by staying in, as rarely feel bored, and perhaps this is because I'm an 'only child' and have always had to amuse myself. Obviously in teenage years had many school friends, and we did go out and about a lot. It was once I was married and the children were born that life within home boundaries became the norm (apart from the obligatory daily walk with the children). There was far too much to do and very little (if any) free time for a mum in those days.

Happened to catch part of a programme last night about rising prices. Eggs have risen nearly 30% since the end of last year. This mainly due to the new rules about how the commercial egg-laying hens are now to be kept. With the ban now on the import of caged hen's eggs, this means a lot of products that used cheaper eggs will now also be more expensive. There always seems to be a reason why food prices rise. If it isn't the added cost of proper care of animals, it is the higher cost of fuel to bring food to our stores (either by air or by road - and possibly by sea). I cannot see prices ever going down very much, and the only way to keep our heads above water is for wages and salaries to increase, and that is not likely to happen in the near future.

Even seeds-for-sowing now seem to cost a lot more. As far as I am aware, a plant still gives as many seeds as it did a century or so ago, so it is the cost of packaging, or the cost of machinery/labour that adds more than a few pennies to each packet we buy? At one time we could buy a packet with at least 20 tomato seeds in it, and costing very little. Now we are lucky to get 6 seeds each working out at about 30p EACH. Just think of how many seeds there are in each fresh tomato we buy. If we find a variety that tastes good, then worth saving the seeds to grow on the following year.
There are several veggies we buy from the supermarket that have seeds we can keep to grow later. Marrows, butternut squash, pumpkins, bell peppers, tomatoes.... and probably a lot of others. We can also grow the stones/pips from avocados, citrus fruits, apples, plums, cherries, peaches etc, and while some may never fruit, they do make good house plants.

At the moment and feeling the urge to plant as many seeds outdoors as possible, but every time I step outside I feel the chill, and just know I've got to wait a bit longer. Then maybe it will be too late. Have a feeling this year - if our country as a whole is going through this 'big unseasonal chill', this will also mean fewer crops will be grown and so we will have to pay more for what is available at the respective harvest times. Have to say the outlook is gloomy, so the more we can no do to stock up with 'long-shelf-life' foods - including frozen (it goes without saying we buy these only when at reduced prices), then come next winter we may still have enough of our budget left to cope with the higher prices we will be expected to pay (and not all for food).

The other day was sent some info about people who used to 'dine out', but are now not even able to 'dine in'. As this was embargoed until today was not able to give it a mention. Briefly it seems that home-cooking is not really being done as much as it could be. Wales has the most people who prefer to home-cook (and this is less than 50%), the east and south of England, a lot less.
The info given was titled 'Don't Dine with Me', and other than giving percentages of those that don't home-cook and the reasons why, ended up with urging people to begin cooking again. And so we should, and one reason for my new site - this showing the simplest way to get fabulous food on the table with the minimum of effort and expense. Still a bit more to do before the site is ready but hope it will be sooner rather than later.

Time now for a few recipes. The first being a soup that has become quite familiar although today generally made using fresh coriander. Neither B nor I like the flavour of this herb, but do enjoy the much spicier (and quite different) flavour that comes from dried coriander seeds sold as a spice. I normally buy the whole dried coriander seeds (incidentally, when sown these seeds will grow into coriander leaves, although not quite as large-leafed as the seeds sold specially for growing as a herb) then grind it myself, but ground coriander is also on sale.

This soup is made using the dried coriander 'spice', low-cost ingredients and is very easy to make. Worth making a large batch and freezing some for later.
Carrot and Coriander Soup: serves 4
1 tblsp sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
1 - 2 tsp ground coriander
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 lb (450g) carrots, scrubbed and chopped
2 pints (1.2ltrs) hot vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper
fresh coriander leaves (opt)
Put the oil in a large saucepan over low-medium heat, then fry the onions for about 5 minutes or until softened but not turning brown. Add the ground coriander and potato, give a good stir then fry for a further minute before adding the carrots and stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce heat, then simmer for 20 minutes or so until the carrots are tender.
Tip into a food processor (you may wish to to this in two batches or use a stick blender directly in the pan), and blitz until smooth, then return to the saucepan and add seasoning to taste. Reheat and serve. If wished, garnish with a few fresh coriander leaves.

Sweet potatoes are not a favourite of mine, although they are included in many recipes. Perhaps I dig my toes in at paying money for something I feel doesn't give me value back. However, many people DO like sweet potatoes and for these am giving a great recipe that makes a 'posh nosh' soup that is relatively very cheap to make. Great to make and serve when entertaining.
Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut: serves 4
1 tblsp sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
1 - 2 tsp Thai red or green curry paste
1lb 10 oz (750g) sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
1.75 pints (1 ltr) hot vegetable stock
half sachet creamed coconut OR...
...quarter of a can coconut milk
salt and pepper
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
mini-naan breads (pref Peshwari) for serving
Put the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion over low heat for about five minutes until softened, then stir in the curry paste and fry for a further minute. Add the grated sweet potatoes and stock, raise the heat to quickly bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and seasoning to taste. Pour into a food processor (or use a stick blender and blitz in the pan) and blitz until smooth. Serve in individual bowls with a sprinkle of fresh coriander leaves on top. Serve with mini-naans or your choice of bread.

Final recipe is another soup, this time one based on tomatoes. Although this doesn't contain peaches, did once read that peaches were used when making a well known canned soup. Tried adding a few canned sliced peaches when making tomato soup some many years ago, and these certainly did give the same sort of flavour. So you could try using adding some peach syrup from the can can instead of the sugar. Worth experimenting.
Myself don't like finding seeds in 'cream' of tomato soup, so would myself mash up and sieve the plum tomatoes before using. Always used canned plum tomatoes as these have a much stronger flavour than the chopped.
If you wish you can omit swirling in the pesto, and just drizzle in the soured cream, then serve with warm slices of French bread made like garlic bread but spread with the pesto instead of garlic.
Rich Tomato Soup: serves 4
1 oz (25g) butter (or 1 tblsp olive oil)
1 - 2 cloves garlic, crushed
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
3 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
18 fl oz (500m) chicken or vegetable stock
2 tsp white sugar (any type) or to taste (see above)
salt and pepper
142g pot soured cream or creme fraiche
basil pesto for serving
Heat the butter or oil in a large saucepan. Stir in the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes over low heat, then add the sun-dried tomatoes, stock, sugar and seasoning to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down.
Blitz soup with a hand blender (or in a food processor) adding half the soured cream, then taste and adjust seasoning. Add more sugar if you wish (tomatoes are very acidic and always need some added sugar whatever dish is being prepared). Serve in individual bowls with a couple or so teaspoons of pesto swirled on the top of each, and also swirl in the remaining soured cream.

Time for me to depart again as have several more 'new' recipes I wish to try out ready for the new site. Something I enjoy doing especially as most of the time I can sit comfortable at the kitchen table.

By the way thanks for those who gave suggestions for getting rid of ant. I had looked it up on the Internet and all I seemed to need was Borax, but Morrison's didn't sell that (who does sell Borax? Anyone know?), but they did sell ant-killer spray, and just one spray of that in the area of our living room where they seem to congregate seemed to get rid of them almost instantly. Despite leaving 'tempts' around for the ants to find (in the hope of discovering their 'walk-way' back to their nest) no further ants have appeared. So after a good vacuum and a spray all round edges of the fitted carpet, hope they don't return.

Hope to meet up with you all again tomorrow. Enjoy your day, keep warm (never thought I'd need to say that at this time of year) and keep cooking! TTFN.

Never Enough Hours...

Apologies for late start, first Norma the Hair, then had to reply to an urgent email before I could jot down replies to the many comments sent in (and thank you all for those). As it is will have to give shorter replies than normal as I've shortly to go and do 'other things'. At least have managed to find time to have a wee chat with you all.

Yesterday asked B what he wanted for supper, and he wasn't sure. Either chilli con carne or spag.bol. Said he'd let me know, but he went off to the gym without telling me, so in the end made a big batch of both and then let him choose when he came home. He chose spag bol, and I had some chilli, the rest was put into containers, cooled and is now in the freezer.

Both of the above was made with one batch of minced steak, fried with chopped onions and a can of chopped tomatoes added plus a tablespoon of tomato puree, then covered and left to simmer until the meat was tender. Then half was put into a saucepan with a packet of Beanfeast spag.bol plus water, some Worcestershire sauce and a good dollop of brown sauce.
The remainder of the meat was left in the frying pan, and to this was added the Beanfeast chilli con carne, plus water and eventually a can of red beans. Together it made an enormous amount, and because 'real' meat was included, the TVP was not noticed. In any case, even if I hadn't used meat at all, the two Beanfeasts when cooked as per instructions on the pack, really do taste as though made with meat. Certainly works out a LOT cheaper using both than made with all minced steak.

Jane mentioned how quite often the above types of dishes made with Quorn are often 'as good as' if made with meat, and can quite believe this as once we add 'extras' (like herbs, spices, red beans etc) these disguise the main ingredients and usually we end up tasting only the additions. Am surprised that Beanfeast do not make a curry version for that too would work well for the same reason.

Thanks to Kathryn and Eileen for letting me know about Tudor Close (Rottingdean). Will check the details later when I can find a minute.

The Vietnamese refrigerator pickles sound interesting Lisa, could we have the recipe?
Of course you are not 'odd', just very sensible. It's other people who seem to live abnormally these days.
The mention of cream rising to the top of milk (bottles) took me back to the past, yet have to say that now I really don't like tea made with full-cream milk. It's lovely with coffee, but far too rich for tea. Semi-skimmed or even skimmed makes the best tea (or drunk with no milk at all).
Had to say that although agree that using tea-bags at least twice is a great money-saving idea Lisa, had to cringe when I read that you had several 'stewing' ready to make another cup of tea.
When we visited a family in America, the lady had made me a jug of tea (milk included) and kept it warm for me, as being English she thought I would prefer this to coffee. Believe me, this is NOT the way to make tea. It has to be freshly made (even when using a recycled tea-bag) with boiling water (preferably the tea is in a teapot), then allowed to 'brew' for a very few minutes before being poured out, preferably into china cups (it tastes better in china). Even a tea-bag in a mug with boiled water poured over really doesn't taste as good.

Not quite sure where it was in the US but do remember being given a mug of hot water and a tea-bag to pop in and give a stir, and the water wasn't even that hot. Perhaps only us Brits will know how awful that would taste.
Recently there has been an advert on TV about Yorkshire Tea (tea-leaves/bags?) being sent to America so the British people there could get a taste of home. Have to say that this would never work, for Yorkshire Tea was made to be brewed with Yorkshire Water. The flavour of any tea changes according to whether the water is soft or hard and as this can vary according to the region, often certain types of tea are blended especially to suit certain areas. The TV ad implied the Yorkshire Tea was travelling all over the US, so unless blended to suit the water of all the area, it really wouldn't taste as it should, and my memories of drinking 'fresh' water in the US is - as mentioned before - highly flavoured with chlorine.

Yesterday watched a repeat of Martin Clunes' programme re horses. He is such a lovely man and really does love animals (well certainly horses and dogs). Not sure if this type of prog is able to be seen in the US, and the Doc Martin series does make M.C. seem a grumpy sort of person, which he isn't in real life. He is often remembered for his comedy work, but having seen him play the lead in the film 'Goodbye Mr Chips', am full of admiration. He should have got an Oscar for that.

If you enjoyed 'Midsomer Murders' Lisa, then hope you are able to watch 'Rosemary and Thyme' which is similar (but this time two ladies who are both gardeners and detectives). Very watchable especially for seeing the English gardens and 'how people live'. Pam Ferris (who is in The Darling Buds of May', plays one of the ladies. Felicity Kendal (formerly in The Good Life), plays the other.

It is true Alison, women who go out to work rarely have time when they return home to do all the things left for them to do. It is still a man's world when it comes to domestic work, they do tend to sit and let 'the little woman' do most of it. So it is not surprising at all that 'women who work' prefer to buy convenience foods/meals. This doesn't mean that women who stay at home don't work as hard for 'domestic duties' can still be very hard work. Problem today is that most of a working wage today is taken up by all the 'extras' needed to keep everything running smoothly. It's now being proved that sometimes it costs less to stay at home and make as much as we can ourselves, than pay for others to do it (and this includes child care, transport, extra clothes, launderette charges, and all those ready-meals etc.).

Yes 50 and counting... it was 'Cheese Whiz' poured over that HUGE sub-type sarnie. And Margie, do appreciate that there must be LOADS of wonderful eating places in both Canada and the US, although the smaller establishments do seem to have the type of food I would enjoy eating - of a similar type to the Cowbell. It was a type of 'posh' restaurant we went to in New Jersey, and somehow it wasn't as good as those seen on TV.
We have a programme here in the UK where Gordon Ramsey travels around the US helping people get their (once popular but now not) restaurants back on track. Some of the foods served there seems truly awful, but after G.R. has sorted the menu (and the owners and chefs), eventually things improve. Don't watch it often as G.R. is not my favourite chef with his too many expletives. But he does know what he is talking about.

Have to leave you now as it is almost noon. Should be back tomorrow at the usual time. Hope to see you then.

The Cost of Convenience

Had a lovely morning yesterday scooting around Morrison's. No Les, I didn't check their website to find their offers, for once I was sticking to my shopping list, plus buying a few 'treats' for myself that in no way came under 'offers'. I even ignored the foods much reduced, as although tempted, didn't really need them and few were 'storeable' (in other words perishable),

Of course I couldn't get the scooter working, so had to ask the aid of an assistant who also had trouble, but it eventually worked (she said it was 'temperamental') and luckily behaved itself until we got to the checkout when it would start up again so had to call another assistant - she made out I didn't know what I was doing ("poor old lady was running through her mind"), and she said "all you have to do is this..." and so did 'this' and it still wouldn't start. How smug I felt!!
Eventually it did start so was able to pay my bill and take it back to its place where B filled up another trolley for me to push to the car (the trolley does help support me, he wasn't being bean).

I took a great deal of time 'wandering' around the store, and what I did notice was that there were a lot of 'convenience packs'. One close to the entrance had packs of all sorts of 'fresh' all priced at £1. B said they were good value, but they weren't. Bags of salad leaves £1. Bags of 'stew packs; £1, bags of mixed veg for stir-fries (all prepared of course) £1. If the veggies/salads had been bought separately the amount used would have cost under 50p, probably a lot less.
So I give a thank you to Sue15cat for her mention of the cost of her home-grown veg being only 10p! This proves that it IS worth growing even a few veggies if we have the space (and this includes the windowsills if we have no outdoor area to grow things).

Further in the store discovered a sort of 'cheffy' stand where lots of ready-prepared meals were displayed, not ready to heat 'n eat, but just the raw ingredients prepared and ready too cook. Again costing MUCH more than if we bought the raw ingredients and prepared them ourselves.
It does seem that any preparation of ingredients these days is something people wish to avoid. Paying for someone else to do it (even a manufacturer) is almost the same as pre-war (when servants were so cheap almost everyone 'middle class' could afford at least one) when kitchen maids did all the 'prep.
We see the same thing today on TV cookery progs. The chef has everything weighed out and placed in dishes before him (this is called 'mise en place'), and then all he has to do is just throw everything together in the right order, and hey presto, the dish is assembled. All he has to do then is cook it (usually in the oven), while he gets on doing something else. And of course, he doesn't do the washing up after. If only the 'good old days' were back, and I could have my own kitchen 'skivvy'. My B thinks he already is one as he does do the washing up for me (well sometimes) but he never puts the clean pots and utensils away, and if (on rare occasions) he does, they are always in the wrong place.

Mind you, I'm getting almost as bad. Each morning I have to take half a dozen different pills (medication), and keep these in a little bag in a special place on the kitchen table, so I can sit down with my cup of coffee, take my pills and only then do I come in here and start my blog. This morning made my coffee, sat at the table, and reached for my bag. And it wasn't there! I looked EVERYWHERE on the table and still couldn't find it. You would expect me to see it immediately if it was there, but as ever, the table was a bit cluttered and I do have a habit of putting one thing on top of another on top of another, so quite a bit had to be moved before I was sure the bag wasn't hidden under a pile.
Then I got up and checked the rest of the kitchen, still couldn't find it. Went back to drink my coffee and have a think then suddenly saw the bag close by my left elbow. Realised what had happened. Late yesterday evening had a feeling my allergy was returning so went into the kitchen to get another anti-histamine and had moved the bag to where I sit and had not returned it to its rightful place. What amazed me this morning was the bag was quite visible, but I never thought of looking on the corner of the table by my elbow. Just everywhere else.

Can still visualise the windmill on the Downs Susan G. Now not sure if you (or any reader who is familiar with Rottingdean) have seen a building that - at the time (and this was just after the war) - was on the right-hand side of the road leading up to Rottingdean from the coast road.
This was a huge building with the name 'Tudor Close', and was built round a quadrangle. At the time it was almost derelict and the front door was not locked, so my mum and dad and I went to explore inside. From the front it looked one level, but this because the front door was on the first floor, and the rest of the building built on ground behind the road that was considerably lower. It was a huge place and can't now remember much about it other that it must have been beautiful, but after the 'occupation' by American soldiers, it had been completely ruined, graffite everywhere, paper stripped from some walls and damage to wood panelling. Am sure it was probably a real Tudor building, it had all the signs - those lovely chimneys etc.
If this is still there, it must now be a 'listed building' and carefully preserved, maybe a hotel (a bit too large for a private home). Do hope it was not demolished and flats built there. Anyone know of it?

Before starting my blog today did check up on the www.cowbellrestaurant.ca Margie. Was able to see a video of the 'butchery class'. Looks a very interesting place to visit. Having only eaten once in an American restaurant, can't really comment on the food (other than the meat was great and the veggies so 'al dente' they must have just been blanched rather than cooked. We were not impressed.
A visit to a US diner was a bit better, but the 'full US breakfast' gave me heartburn for a couple of days after, and the glass of water had so much chlorine in that it tasted like drinking swimming bath water.

This weekend watched another 'Man v Food', as although I really am disgusted by the amount the presenter continually forces down his throat, am quite impressed by the way the meats are cooked. A lot of time and trouble seems to go into this, much more than would happen in this country. My mouth continually waters when I see the barbecued ribs and slices of rib-eye, and all these places seem to serve huge portions for relatively cheap prices. One slice of rib-eye alone would cost us at least £4 here and possibly a lot more - and that's without all the trimmings.

The presenter this week ate a type of filled baguette (the US name was different), think it had lots of cooked meat filling topped with fried onions and then a huge amount of some American cheese 'sauce'. Not sure of the name, but it looked like English mustard squidged from a squeeze bottle, but cheese not mustard. Apparently a very popular dressing in the US over beefburgers etc. Have never eaten American mustard. English mustard is very hot, Dijon mustard is quite mild, Whole Grain mustard is 'gritty' and fairly mild. So please let me know what the US mustard is like. Is it sold here?

The 'treats' I bought myself yesterday were three different cheeses. One was Cheddar with pickled onion, another was 'Mexicana' (slightly hot), the third was 'Red Hot Dutch', a Gouda (I think) with chopped and very hot chillis mixed in. Boy, was it hot! Just loved it. Think it must be the 'feel good' factor that chillis have (also oats), that have got me hooked on spicy foods.

Did buy a few other things of course - all on my list and was very pleased to find the Spam on sale at a lower-than-usual price, so bought four tins instead of the two I intended (the intention is to store it in my larder, but only if I can keep my hands off it. Wish they'd make a chilli flavoured Spam!).

Have to say that going to Morrison's early (we arrived at about 9.30am) was a very good time for me to 'scooter' around as there were few customers getting in my way (or should this be vice versa?). Also at the checkout there was only one in front of me, and then everyone seemed to disappear and no-one followed me and other check-outs had no queues.
The worst thing about supermarket shopping is having to wait (and wait, and wait) at the checkouts, so if this bugs you, then try early morning shopping. If bargains are the main reason to shop, then shop later in the day (such as early evening) when the 'perishables' are usually marked down.

There is no need to apologise minimiser deb for showing your feelings about buying only free-range etc. We all have certain things we feel very strongly about. Although I usually write about food, my grievances are more about how people prefer to buy the convenient rather than bother to cook at all, and my 'spleen venting' is often more about the state of the nation, the stupid 'elf and safety' rules etc and the way the young behave today, and the way people waste their money and then blame everyone else because they are now feeling 'deprived'. And how good it was in the old days. And so on and so forth.

The minute any of our foods are grown/reared purely on a commercial level, little thought is given to what really matters. The wonderful flavours of fruit and vegetables has now almost been lost due to the 'need' (and who says we need it anyway) of everything conforming to a perfect shape, and within each variety, all looking like clones. The whole thing about food is its flavour. So why lose it?
Few vegetables are served without any preparation, so if they have to be prepared then cut/sliced/chopped...it matters little what its shape was in the first place.

Meat/fish/poultry and some game are now commercially reared (by this I mean in large numbers and not often 'naturally'), and when this happens we lose quality and flavour because it would cost too much to produce everything the 'natural' way. Intensive farming and the creatures (or even the vegetation) become of little individual importance, profit making is what the producers are after and if they pump the animals full or hormones to give a better yield, and spray chemicals over the plants to keep away the pests, then so be it.

It has been said (by scientists, so almost certainly true) that when people die their bodies do not decompose as rapidly as centuries ago due to the amount of preservatives in food that has been consumed over the years and that still remain in our bodies. In other words those who from toddler age onwards who are fed and continually prefer to eat the 'readies' will probably end up pickling themselves. That's a thought. If things go on as they are, maybe coffins will be obsolete and huge glass Kilner jars take their place. Must apologise for my warped sense of humour.

Not sure why, but all of a sudden I've gone off cooking. Yesterday just managed to throw together a salad for B with several slices of the cooked ham. He also had some of the Rigo Jansci that he brought home, plus snacking on something else later (but by then I'd gone to bed). Think today I'll make chilli con carne for supper (then I can have some too), and add a chilli 'Beanfeast' to bulk it up (cheaper than using more meat), so there will also be enough to freeze. Tesco's don't seem to keep the 'Beanfeast', but Morrison's do, so bought several packs (plus a couple of 'Beanfeast Spag. bol. as well. Eaten made up as per instructions on the packet you wouldn't now it wasn't 'real' meat (the 'meat' part being TVP).

Was a bit tempted to try the Quorn products on sale, but these were just as expensive as the same thing made with meat. There were even little Quorn 'Scotch eggs' on sale (presumably a Quorn 'sausage substitute' coating the eggs). Did not care for the appearance of the Quorn sausages, but alongside was another vegetarian sausage (cannot now remember the brand) and although cheaper looked a lot more like a sausage. One day may try these as unless we buy sausages from our butcher, very few of the branded names taste like sausages should. Unfortunately butcher's sausages are now becoming very expensive. But then everything now seems to cost a great deal more than it did, and not just food. The only way we can still eat well and serve great food to our family is shop around for 'best prices', then prepare and cook it ourselves. Plus 'growing our own' whenever we can. And why not keep a few chickens as well?

B says my last loaf is making wonderful toast, so this means I'd better bake another today, maybe add extra flour again then slice and freeze the extra loaf. The only problem with home-made bread it does stale up (dry out) faster than the pappy sliced sold in supermarkets, but at the speed B eats it my bread never gets that far, but an extra loaf would need freezing to keep it in 'fresh' condition.

Not even sure I want to cook at all today. My 'shopping spree' has got my fingers itching to spend a few more pennies. Or at least so some window-shopping, so might go out with Norris this morning to the local shops and see what there is on offer. Could do with some 'free' chicken carcases, and even that would make me feel I'd 'shopped'. Just goes to show how addictive shopping can become, and knowing how tempted I can get, one of the reasons I find on-line shopping not only saves me money but also saves me time to cook, thus saving even more.

Oh yes, one bit of good news. On our return from shopping yesterday discovered the postman had put a letter through the door for me, and on opening it found that Ernie had come up trumps again, so that almost paid for the shopping I had just done. It was only a few weeks ago I got the last 'bonus'. Let us hope I'm on a roll.

If you can be bothered to join me again tomorrow you will then find out whether I've managed to get myself organised today, or been very naughty. Think I rather enjoy being naughty - it doesn't happen very often so might as well get it out of my system while the feelings there. What fun awaits me. All will be revealed tomorrow. Hope to see you then.

In Store Shopping

Probably a shorter blog this morning as intending to go to Morrison's soon after 9.00am. Not necessarily to seek bargains (but will of course be looking hard for any), but to get the few 'fresh' foods needed, plus some 'stores'.

After reading Kathryn's comment (and what interesting reading it made), feel that shopping later in the day is when the foods are reduced in price, but as I need to use the store's scooter, feel that early in the day is best for me. However - do hope other readers note what Kathryn had to say for I was SO impressed by her purchases and what she will be making from them, and well worth following her example. Particularly liked reading about the 'community spirit' that seemed to emanate from those customers hanging around waiting for the price reductions.

With so many people now having to spend a large percentage of their hard-earned income on their household fuel (gas/electricity), and the fact that the fuel companies don't seem to reduce their prices when they pay less when the price goes down, what do they do with all their extra income? So Les, do tell me where the extra money comes from to pay the huge bonuses to their bosses if very little of it comes from our pocket. My B would say it comes from investments and money earned that way, but then what money, whose money? Extra money in business usually comes from profits made when something is sold at a higher price than bought, and some of these profits may (or may not) be invested, but it still (originally) our money. Or is that too simple an explanation and I can't see beyond that?

Seems that both Susan G and Sarina live in Sussex (lucky girls, I've had many holidays in Brighton and Rottingdean and love the area, and is that windmill still on the Downs close to the sea road?). You were fortunate with your weather yesterday for here it was very cloudy, very VERY windy, and although no rain to speak of, it felt so gloomy and worse than most of last winter. I can't believe we are now into summer.

Thanks to an Anonymous (new reader, so please let us have your name so we can welcome you personally). Have just checked the two jelly packs (as mentioned yesterday) and it is true, the Tesco one IS slightly less in weight (by 10 g) than the Hartley's, and this Could make a difference in the 'nutritional' value. Even so when made up we still only get a pint of jelly from either. So other than flavour (and extra calories - this being mostly sugars), we don't end up with more made-up jelly for our money. Not that I suggest we buy the cheapest anything because we get no less than something more expensive, but when it comes to jelly might feel it is worth it if I can improve it myself (I make up a cheap lemon jelly by adding the juice of a small lemon, ditto orange, and do this whatever the price/brand of jelly).

Food for thought when you queried whether I fancied taking any courses minimiser deb. Not sure quite what I'd choose at the moment. I did once do a pottery course and got on well with that, so might like to take it up again. Have also done a course on silver-craft, just ending up making a spoon (with a carnelian set in the handle) and quite enjoyed that. As to cookery courses - might like to take a course on advanced sugarcraft (am quite good at the intermediate level), but one thing I'd like to learn (and it probably is a 'craft' in its own field) is butchery! How to carve up a cow/pig/sheep etc, and also be taught how to bone a chicken without leaving flesh on the carcase (have never managed to do that successfully myself - think I haven't the right knives for the job).

Loved reading your list of crafts you've done Eileen, and - because you and I are so much alike, almost clones - you won't be surprised to know I've also had a go at most of these, although my macrame was made using parcel string instead of the proper 'stuff' (it still worked).
Your mention of choosing a dish made with mince suddenly reminded me of a time when I decided to give 'English prison' names to foods made with minced meat: such as Armley 'amburgers, Pentonville Pork Pies... There were others that I can't now remember, but one has stuck in my mind being my most favourite: 'Strangeways with Mince'. The mind boggles at what that would taste like.

Well done Cheesepare for including chicken livers in that £1 a day challenge. I am kicking myself I forgot those (especially as they are so cheap at 5op a tub from Tesco). The challenge itself proves that with advance planning it is not THAT difficult to give ourselves a varied diet on £1 a day (for 5 days), but to do this we have to buy enough in one go to last the alloted time, as only then would we have enough to 'play with'. If we were limited to a daily 'shop' with only £1 to spend, then it would be much more difficult. Where can we buy just one egg for instance? Or a few ounces only of porridge oats? We would probably end up with a loaf of bread and a can of beans and maybe one orange, with not a lot else to last each day. Whether or not we are on an extremely tight budget or have more flexibility, 'advance planning' always means we can end up with more for our money.

Yesterday cooked the gammon, this is now chilling in the fridge and will be sliced later today (or tomorrow). Also had a trial run making some cookies. This needs a bit more experimenting with as it has possibilities that only this morning occured to me, but you will eventually be told when I've perfected my version.
Needless to say I never got around to making the marmalade.

Beloved fancied fish for his supper (so that put paid to the chilli I planned) so he had the last piece of 'fresh' salmon from the freezer. I put it in a pan of cold water to thaw and - as he'd been out enjoying himself all day - when he returned home let him poach it himself and eat it with some watercress he had bought. He seemed to manage that OK, and so I was able to put my feet up and watch a disaster film on TV (all about global warming causing another Ice Age), followed immediately (on another channel) by a repeat of Benidorm (which I pleaded to watch and so was allowed to).
Then watched two episodes of 'Father Ted', and a few of Jamie O, and also Hugh F.W AND a French chef's (name forgotten) prog. on cakes and desserts, so was quite a happy bunny last night when it came to TV viewing. B didn't care for any of this so spent the evening sulkily playing games on the comp. It was about 4.00am this morning when I went to bed, but got up at 7.00am when the central heating switched on (the boiler is in the bedroom so the noise tends to wake me), and I feel none the worse for lack of sleep. No doubt I'll nod off this afternoon after watching 'Instant Restaurant'.
By the way, there is a full day of Jamie Oliver's programme repeats (from past and present) next Saturday on the 'More 4' channel, beginning at 9.00am (but best check to make sure I've got it right). He is always worth watching. Must plan my cooking to allow for me to watch at least as much of it as B allows.

Mentioned the other day how my B can get 'led astray' easily, and this happened yesterday when he happened to meet the man who works (voluntarily) at the RNLI shop at the same time as B. This man was off to a pub to watch a football match, so after B had done a bit of bird watching he told me he then decided to call in the Dog and Partridge (pub very close to where we live) and watch a football match being shown there. Bless. He would never have gone had the thought not been put into his mind by the other man. Not that I minded, B can watch as much footie as he wants as long as it is somewhere else, not in our living room.

Sorry about the early finish, but for once Morrison's is more important than 'rambling' on about trivia. Who knows, the shopping spree might give me a lot of interesting things to write about
.
Please join me again tomorrow - and keep those comments coming? TTFN

The Morning After...

When B returned from the RNLI 'do' he said the desserts were much liked, with many people taking the trouble to say how much they loved the Tropical Fruit cheesecake. This almost ended up as a disaster, but fortunately managed to end up nearly as intended.

I'd made the cheesecake (flavoured with coconut and with pineapple pieces folded in), and the (canned) tropical fruits were to go on the top. In the end decided it might be better if I poured a little jelly over the cheesecake surface to hold the fruits, so made up a lemon jelly using less than the pint of liquid (adding fresh lemon juice then making up to the amount with the syrup from the can). This was cooled and began to set when poured onto the cake, so carefully placed on the fruit. Silly me, silly SILLY me had decided to include thin slices of kiwi (cut in half) to add more colour and as this contains (as does FRESH pineapple) an enzyme that is 'anti-setting, this then prevented the jelly setting firmly. But at least it wasn't THAT runny, and - in a way - this would help keep the fruit in place but also be more like a clear 'coulis' that could double as a sauce. After being in the fridge for a while it did seem to set enough to hold in place, but as I wasn't there when it was served, not sure how it turned out. But as everyone who had it seemed to love it, this probably worked well.

Made another 10 profiteroles just to be sure there was enough, these were again like little balloons and hollow inside. To save me using a new tub of double cream decided to fill these with the last bit of 'ganache' (cream and melted chocolate whipped together), and after dipping three profiteroles in melted chocolate, put a little chocolate on the base of the ganache filled and set this on the top of the three to make a little pyramid. As the chocolate set, these four were then firmly held together for serving. The top prof. also had a spoon of chocolate poured over.

Did not take photos because I forgot. Sorry about that, but then when in their containers they didn't look very interesting at all, they needed to removed and slice to get the best effect, so you'll have to wait until I make some for Beloved before you get to see them.

As I had some time to spare (whilst the bread machine was making dough) sat at the dining table and picked up one of the Harmsworth Household Encyclopedias that belonged to my mum. This these were printed in 1910, and certainly the clothes, hair, furniture, houses etc, showed how people used to live then.

On one of the antiques programmes a lady sold something and when asked what she would do with the money, she said she would spend it on her hobby. She had taken up 'crafts'. She said everyone was now 'taking up crafts', her particular one being card-making.
In the 'Harmsworths', (one of six big volumes) one covered the letter 'R' and then 'S', but yesterday only read part of it. Even confined to the two letters, this showed crafts I'd had a go at but since forgotten about.
Nowadays, crafts seem to be card-making, patchwork, knitting and sewing, but then I read about Raffia Work (done that), Ribbon Work (done that), Richelieu Work (done that), Rug making (hooked wool, rag rugs and braided rugs (done all three), Rush weaving (done that), Samplers (done that), Sealing Wax (done that), Shell work (not yet tried that), it all came flooding back and now I want to get 'crafty again. This just shows how many crafts we 'oldies' are familiar with that no-one today has ever heard about. And what a lot of pleasure they have missed. The rest of this book, plus the other five books will include loads more crafts (basket work, knitting, weaving, bead-making, tatting, lace-making, pokerwork, fretwork, marquetry to name but a few) and wish more programmes could be shown making many of the above.
Do any of the above sound familiar to you minimiser deb, or to other readers?

Despite the fact our working hours are far less today than they used to be, and with all the household appliances, even domestic duties can be done in minutes rather than hours, somehow it seems that no-one has any free time anymore. I blame TV (and now computer games) for this. Before we had these, we could busy ourselves with countless crafts and enjoy listening to the wireless at the same time. Now it is only knitting we can do without having to give our full attention to what we are doing with our hands - leaving us free to knit and watch at the same time.

Back to food. Although probably only of interest to penny-pinchers and those who count calories, when sorting out my 'jelly collection, took a look at the ingredient list at the back of a Hartley's strawberry jelly, and a Tesco strawberry jelly. If I remember correctly, the Tesco jelly was 8p at that time (makes up into a pint). The Hartley's being much dearer (although still not expensive). Strangely, although it appeared that both jellies contained exactly the same ingredients, these must have been in different amounts as both jellies (when made up) had very different 'nutritional' amounts.
strawberry jelly;
Hartley's: 296 calories (Tesco 65)
" 5.1 protein (Tesco 1.1)
" 68.9 carbo (14.6)

Although jelly is not really served as a 'food', it is worth noting from the nutritional angle that the carbohydrate was mainly sugars, so in a way the Tesco one was 'healthier'. Certainly if keeping to a low-calorie diet, the Tesco one also wins hands down, so perhaps the cheaper jelly is better on both counts to give to chubby children to help prevent more obesity.
Mind you there is a great difference in flavour between the two. The Tesco seems more like coloured water with not a lot of taste, but when served with fresh strawberries, then it would be good. Also as considerable money saved using the cheaper jelly, this could help pay for the fresh fruit.

Now to your comments.
Firstly must thank Sue15cat for putting us in the picture re egg production today. Trouble with me is I tend to trust what I read and what I hear/see on TV. Obviously a lot of it is not true. It is good that Sue has taken the trouble to find out the facts and make doubly sure that the eggs she buys are really, REALLY from happy hens that run freely outdoors in good conditions.

A thanks also to Sarina who has given a more objective view to the topic on discussion. However strongly we feel about things, we have to allow everyone freedom of choice. I'm constantly amazed how cruelty to some creatures can really make a nation pull together to improve their lot, yet others seem to be ignored.
When I see the amount of fish kept together in confined spaces (albeit in sea water) when 'farmed', this looks even worse than the chickens. Yet no-one has yet complained. For that matter, although I really haven't much interest in fish, feel that those kept in garden ponds or aquariums indoors, have pretty poor 'living' conditions when you compare it with their natural habitat.
Thankfully the days of when canaries were kept in tiny cages singing their hearts out have now long gone, and a caged bird is allowed a little more space. But no freedom to actually fly any distance as nature intended. When we kept a couple of budgies I used to let them out of the cage to fly around the room each day for a couple or so hours. It was a devil of a job getting them back into the cage though.

Have checked my oven temperature with both a digital and an oven thermometer Les, and both give the same reading. I have to check sometimes as the temperature dial on our oven doesn't show enough. For instance there is nothing shown between 140C and 180C and not that much space between the figures. So have to guess at 150C, 160C, and 170C if that is what I need (and usually use the oven thermometer to check).
Thanks also for repeating what I have said in the past (but your version is a lot more concise), and am sure new readers will find it interesting reading. The way you pass on information (straight to the point) makes me wonder whether you were a teacher before you retired.
Doubt I'd be much good as a teacher, I tend to use far too many words when only one would do.

You certainly had an action-packed day Jane, but it's amazing what we can do when we set our mind to it. Do hope your greenhouse is up and running, but take care that it is well anchored down, the plastic ones can blow over very easily.
Because of this Beloved has had to anchor our greenhouse to the outside wall by making a couple of holes in the back and threading through wire to fix to two hooks screwed into the wall. This does keep it secure, although the wind can still push the plastic cover against the plants on the shelving and occasionally these topple over onto the floor.

When we had a similar greenhouse in Leeds, this had to stand in the middle of the garden on crazy paving, although there were enough beds close by to drive in the stakes to hook on the 'stays' to hold it secure. To prevent any lifting of the base when we had high winds, also used to lay growbags or deep containers across the bottom part of the frame so the weight would also help to hold it down. This really worked well.

Thanks Eileen for your comment. The Rigo Jansci made this time was a bit lighter than the one you tried (and I think all the better for it). This was because I used more cream to chocolate to make the ganache (normally equal amounts of each), so when whipped it almost doubled in bulk and lighter than the normal 'truffle' texture.

Now the gammon has been soaked overnight, today will be cooking it, leaving it in the stock to cool before chilling, then will slice, pack and freeze most of it away. That's another job done. Each day I now seem to have more cooking to do - much of it to do with my new website (need to make and bake and take photos etc), and also have plenty of lemon curd, jam and marmalade to make (many sold for charity).
With a whole freezer drawer now empty, have room to freeze the bowls from my ice-cream machine and so can bring that back into use. Also have plenty of space now in the fridge, so will try and keep it like that as never do have enough room to chill things when needing to.

Even the larder has empty space on the shelves, one side normally two deep in cans and each can with another on top, now has only one row along the back of a shelf (with another can on top), and do you know - I don't even feel the need to fill those gaps!
What I intend to do - especially on the 'dry goods' side of the larder (which is not so empty), is to work through most of this during the summer months then stock up again for the winter so all the shelves are filled. This because of the threat that our gas and electric prices will rise even higher. It isn't as though they need our money - they seem to have enough to pay the big bosses huge bonuses. But then that's all they care about. Draining us of our money so the wealthy can have even more. Why can't our government nationalise the fuel industry (and rail as well) as was done before, then perhaps a little less personal greed and a lot more thought to the consumer would happen.

A delayed start today as waited until Gill had phoned. so as I see it is moving on towards noon, think it is time I wound up for today and should be back at normal time tomorrow (although planning to shop at Morrisons early in the morning so hope I get up early enough to publish before I go). In case I forget, Norma the Hair will be back on Wednesday, so will probably be writing/publishing late morning that day. The reminders just in case some readers like to read this blog at 'coffee break'.

Don't think we will have rain today, but it is very windy, and this probably means no sailing although B will go and see just in case. Have now to plan supper (think this might be liver, bacon, cabbage and potatoes, on the other hand it might not!), and get on with cooking the gammon and making some biscuits etc. Do hope you have a good day, and hope we'll be meeting up again tomorrow. See you then.