General Chat

Thank you Jam.
I am in my friends house waiting for the phone to ring as have been informed that I will learn today when and where i have to go.
Just had a message to say that I have to attend the hospital on Thursday at 09.45hrs, now I consider that is good news.


Bridget

Oh Bridget, hope you get on alright

Jan

Hello from Bridget who is still in the UK. It looks as if I am going to be here for a little longer. I had a problem with one of my eyes a few weeks ago but it started to feel better. Went for an eye check and have new classes and discovered that my painful eye is in fact rather worrying. Went to the doctor today and have an emergency appointment some time tomorrow at the hospital. I hope it is not as bad as the doctor has suggested.

Other than that all is well.

Sorry not to write any thing longer but eye is telling me to stop writing.

:-) :-)

As the old man is bringing in blackberries by the cartload I am always having to think of innovative things to do with them. Today it was blackberry blancmange.

I stewed the blackberries with sweetener and put them through a sieve.(Can you imagine blancmange with pips in?)

Made the pulp up to 2pints with milk and used 150g cornflour to make it.

It is setting at the moment but tomorrow we will know if it was a success.

Where is everybody ? Hope someone does the carrot chutney, you will not regret it...yummy

To everyone.

I am away for about three weeks so please keep this thread alive.

Thank you

:-)

Carrot Chutney

Using a coarse grater grate 4lbs carrots, put in a large bowl with 2tsps ground ginger,8 dried chillies,chopped small,leaving seeds in, pour over 1 litre of cider vinegar, and 2 oz sea salt. mix and leave for 24 hours.

Next day peel 3 heads of garlic, if large cloves, cut in half. Put into large pan with carrots. bring to boil and simmer for 10mins then add 3lb granulated sugar and stir well...Bring back to the boil for at least 45 mins, stir occasionally, until thick and jammy. Then leave off heat for 3 mins and ladle into hot jars.

If you do not want a kick then halve the chillies or leave out.

Everyone will love it, good with cold meats or cheese, but when you have grated that amount of carrots, and tasted it you will not want to part with a jar.!!!!

Will post carrot chutney at weekend...so hang on everyone

Jan

Milly
I hope you do not mind me shortening your name.

The runner bean pickle sounds good but is it essential to use so much sugar.....?
I will make some of this when I return home after my visit to the UK.

I hope to get some new Recipies from my DIL whilst she is here, arriving today.

:-)

Carrot chutney sounds interesting Jan :-)

Oh Yes please for the Carrot Chutney , this pickle is a nice one to make .

Runner Bean Pickle
2 lb (900 g) runner beans (weighed after trimming and slicing)
1½ lb (700 g) onions, chopped
1½ pints (850 ml) malt vinegar
1½ oz (40 g) cornflour
1 heaped tablespoon mustard powder
1 rounded tablespoon turmeric
8 oz (225 g) soft brown sugar
1 lb (450 g) demerara sugar
salt
You will also need six 0.5 litre jars,

Method

First of all put the chopped onions into a preserving pan or large casserole or saucepan with 10 fl oz (275 ml) of the vinegar. Bring them up to simmering point and let them simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft. Meanwhile cook the sliced beans in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then strain them in a colander and add to the onions.

Now in a small basin mix the cornflour, mustard and turmeric with a little of the remaining vinegar – enough to make a smooth paste – then add this paste to the onion mixture. Pour in the rest of the vinegar and simmer everything for 10 minutes. After that stir in both quantities of sugar until they dissolve and continue to simmer for a further 15 minutes. Then pot the pickle in warmed, sterilised jars, and seal and label when cold. Keep for at least a month before eating.

I am sure that I am NOT a genius re the new tree, just by trial and error.!!!!

What sort of recipe would you like from me....as you may remember I am a bit of a queen with desserts !! What about a recipe for Carrot Chutney ?

That frozen fruit mousse I made with the blackberries the other day.Well,I made it with some cherry plums they brought in last night.

It was kinda sharp and sophisticated.

After reading a query on another thread I looked this up. I have not tried it but thought people might like the recipe. Taken from Tom's barn web site

yes, you most definitely can make a (most delicious) steak and kidney pudding in a slow cooker, and no, you don’t have to cook the meat first…

The recipe below is taken from a wonderful book by Dianne Page “Slow Cooking Properly Explained” published by Right Way (an imprint of Constable and Robinson). I think I bought it from Amazon.

Steak and Kidney Pudding Recipe:
•175g (6oz) self-raising flour
•85g (3oz) shredded suet
•Pinch salt
•450g (1lb) lean stewing steak, cut into cubes
•225 (8oz) ox or lamb kidney, cut into cubes
•1 medium onion, finely chopped
•Freshly milled black pepper

Method:

Preheat the slow cooker on HIGH. Grease a 1litre (1 3/4pt pudding bowl (greasing is important otherwise it won’t turn out, as I discovered!)

Mix together the flour, suet and seasoning with enough water to make a soft dough. Reserve 1/3 for the lid and roll out the remainder on a lightly floured surface. Use this to line the pudding basin.

Mix together the steak, kidney, onion, salt and pepper and pack carefully into the pastry-lined pudding basin. Add 2 tbsp water. The pudding should not quite fill the bowl to allow room for the crust to rise

Roll out the remaining pastry to make the lid. Moisten the edges of the pastry with water and press the lid into position. Cover with *greased greaseproof paper or foil.

*I tore off enough to paper to allow me to fold a seam across the middle to give space for the pastry to rise, and sealed the paper down by tying string tightly round the rim.



*To avoid scalding yourself, fold a length of foil which you leave under the bowl with the ends loose at the top to lift the bowl in and out.

Using this lifting foil strap lower the bowl into the slow cooker. Pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the side of the basin. Put the lid on, and cook on HIGH for 6-8 hours. Resist any temptation to peep!

Take the bowl out of the slow cooker, again using the foil lifting strap . Remove the greaseproof paper, and turn the S&KP out onto a warmed plate. Serve with some vegetables that you can cook at the last moment.

Having used half a carton of passata in the pie for tea I was left with the other half.

Being adventurous,reduced it with some Lazy Garlic, added a little salt, some sugar, lttle squirt of tomato ketchup and a drop of lemon juice.

Now I have some absolutely delicious tomato sauce and absolutely no idea of what to do with it.

Greenfingers,

Pleased to see you back on here. Thanks for the tip re the amount of sugar in cakes.
I hope you will help to keep this thread alive by posting a recipe!

Maybe you are the Genuis re Genes new style of tree......you could add how you cope with it??

Goodnight everyone , I will, hopefully be back tomorrow.
:-)

Glad you aren't leaving Bridget, haven't been on this thread for ages.....have no excuses !!1 Am I the only one that finds the new tree easier ?


Anyway have read and absorbed lots of lovely recipes, the one thing that everyone seems to be worried about is sugar in cakes, wellllllllllllll watching various experts, I understand that sugar, apart from making a cake sweet, adds NOTHING to the cake other than that...............so try next time cutting down on the sugar. I guarantee the cake will taste and rise just as good. I have done this with several recipes, and cut the sugar by more than a half, and had no complaints....try it and see

Have a lovely weekend

Jan

Ann, thank you for your message, I hope that you would all miss me, if I wasn't on here!
jdubz, thanks for the garlic recipe, we will have this for our supper this evening, fortunately we both like garlic,

I am looking forward to the next entry.

an old work collegue calls me this. Hope you like the recipe, I will put others up if I can remember them.

Glad you have decided to stay Bridget. You would miss us!!!

Jdubz(where did you get the name from :-D :-D?) That sounds very tasy must try it some time.