General Chat

There was I hoping for some yummy winter recipes appearing, and its all gone quiet....where is everybody ?


Jan

Lol for the answers!

I'll check out that website, thanks, and let you all know.

Sharon, my opinion of artichokes is the same as yours, ......and we live just a about 2 miles from the Artichoke centre in Europe., they have a festival every year and the town is so crowed it is difficult to move. We went ONCE!!

Perhaps Helen will let us know how she gets on!

Bridget in Spain

Have you eaten artichoke before? I only ask because of my first experience of each kind.

I had always thought there was not a vegetable I didn't like until the artichokes came home. There were two each and I prepped mine properly, took the choke out and boiled for the instructed time in the water with lemon juice in for the globe artichokes. Melted the butter and sat down to enjoy the feast. Yuk,yuk,yuk,it was horrible. They have a metallic kind of tast which did not appeal at all.

Somebody had Jerusalem artichokes for sale beside the road so I bought some. They too were nasty. Turnip has always been a veg I would not eat with any enthusiasm and Jerusalem artichokes are like turnip only more so,

Helen in Kent there is a good web site www.artichokerecipes.co.uk
that has so many ways of cooking these...so you will be spoilt for choice..

Never cooked with them myself, let us know how you get on

Regards Jan

Thank-you, Bridget.

I asked a friend's Italian boyfriend who suggested wrapping it in tin foil and baking it in the ashes of a fire. Well we do have an open fire so I could do this when it gets cold but meanwhile the petals are beginning to open up..........!!!!

Helen, how nice of you to ask us for a recipe for Artichokes. I will add one or two later today and I expect others will follow.
We of course hope you stay with us.

Bridget in sunny Spain :-)

Hi Bridget, do you think you or your ladies could give me a yummy recipe for artichokes? My Greek friend in London pulled me one up out of her garden and it has taken well and now I have two enormous artichokes to deal with!

Berona, I would suggest that your 6th Sense fell into action and thank goodness it did.

Today I am going to try and find some good recipes for the points I posted earlier, and add them on here later today.

Not much happening at the moment so time to make the coffee and start thinking about new ways of developing old recipies.

Bridget :-D

Bridget - you reminded me of when I was asked to water the garden and 'keep an eye' on the house for my neighbour, who flew to Western Australia for two weeks.

A few days into the holiday, we had a severe electrical storm and lost power for four hours. When it came time to water, I didn't bother because the storm had supplied enough water, but because I had not yet gone into their house, something made me go there. I think I was looking for any water damage, but there was none and I still don't know why I bothered to look in their garage. That was where they kept their large upright freezer. I noticed that it wasn't working and I opened the door to find that it was chock-a-block full of food! Not an inch of space left to put in another thing!

I could see that everything was still frozen, but what to do with it if the freezer wasn't working? Luckily, I switched it off at the power point. Then, for some reason, I switched it on again - and it worked!!! I still have no idea what I would have done with all that food - throw it out, I suppose - but I also don't know what made me go in there in the first place. Sixth sense??? ESP???.
I'm no psychic, but I'm sure glad I did go there.

Now Jan, you s Gould know me better than to say as you are not doing anything special on my ideas!!
What about giving one item for each occasion for those who may be going out or having a special time but need a nudge to get them going!
I will add one for each event by the middle of next week.

Many thanks for those who commented on my homecoming disaster? Apparently the electricity went off just 2 days after we left home. As we were not here there was no one to switch it back on! Uuurrgg !

Today I have cleaned out the Pantry. My goodness I through away more food than I can remember doing before. Nothing actually out of date but had been opened for a while. Everything is kept in plastic containers but all the bits and pieces were driving me mad, so all gone now.

That meant that almost everything we brought back with us is now in the right place. Just one box left but that is mostly lare tins of coffee, baked beans for OH, ( I cannot even like the smell of them) Indian Sauces, etc.

Then I decided to open the splendid new Magimix Compact 300 Automatic mixer, it truly can do Anything! Then I found a real surprise! OH had bought me a Slow Cooker from Asda, model ESC -30. He had packed the car so I did not know about it!! Have said that I will have these two items as my Christmas Present.
If anyone has either of these products please let me know how they perform.

Persie,I wonder if some freezers have a way of bleeping if the temp falls to low? This could save some people from not knowing what has happened. Obviously it would not have saved us. We will go to the bank to see our home insurance just in case we can get some recompense, but not holding out much hope.

Today we had Gammon which had been cooked in water with one onion medium size, some garlic, black Peppercorns, small amount of celery chopped into small pieces and simmered for about two hours on a low heat. Served with cabbage, carrots and mashed potatoes and gravy. It smelt delicious and tasted good, none left over.
For desert we had Ice-cream.

We are trying to cut down our portions of food so we can loose some weight but hate waste, so has anyone have any suggestions, please.
So difficult when I really enjoy cooking.

My daughter in law Nic has sent the second scan photo of our expected grandchild. By now you most likely know that we do have some very unusual experiences in our family and it looks as if we may have one next year. .......our grandchild is due on...29th February!!

Yesterday I made a really stupid error on my family tree! Quite by accident I deleted one of my family in the late 1880s for a wrong person but with the same name ArrGH . Now I have to try to put it right.

Have a good afternoon and evening or a good day if you are on the other side of the world.

Bridget in Spain :-D

Hi Bridget

Hadn't thought about doing anything at all on those days...tho we do have a retirement do to go to on 4th November..will put on thinking cap

Jan

Oh Bridget.... what an awful thing to happen...I do hope you have an insurance cover.

Years and years ago we had a freezer .... there was not much room in our little house and it was in the dining area on the way to the lounge... It's motor would make a noise from time to time and my OH was making something or doing something in the kitchen and watching the TV from there.. couldn't hear so turned freezer off. But he forgot to turn it on again and next day I noticed it and spent the day cooking thawed meat and then freezing again... and yes I did chuck out a few things as well, but nothing smelt thank goodness.

Persie

Hello again everyone and thanks for your kind thoughts re out fridge freezers distaster. We have come to terms with it now but despite masses of cleaning it took up to about an hour ago before the horrible smell finally disappeared. I do not use " nice smelly sprays normally as I find most can be quite overcoming, so use orange and lemon peel on the fire during the winter and the same dried peels on smal dishes around the house with just a touch of add orage and lemon water.

Later I am going to put my new kitchen buys into the kitchen and all the small bits and pieces which are in very good conditions into a card board box. Then next time there is an event to raise funds I shall take the box with me.

Next week I will download all the new recipies and see if there is someday that I can but them into a book. It will then become Ricipies by cyber friends and me.
Any better suggestion re naming it will be considered .

A very pleasant warm day here today. OH has cleaned the pool and needs to buy two new little basket which catch the dust the existing pair have worn out. The paths etc have bern washed, the patio has bern washed thoroughly. And home feels like home again.
Finally I promise that I will add some new recipies today or tomorrow.

Just for fun I wonder what you will all be cooking for Halloween 31st of October, guy Fawkes night 5th November and 30th November St Andrews day.?
This year we shall not be having the crowd of family we usually have so am already thinking about a romantic Food Day. Any ideas??

Bridget. :-D

Bridget...its always a fear of mine to come home to that having happened how awful......

Tried a new beetroot recipe yesterday, equally as delicious (well one has to taste it) so here goes

Spiced beetroot and orange chutney

1 1/2 kg RAW beetroot, peeled and diced, 3 chopped onions,,3 eating apples peeled and chopped (I used small ones and had to use 5, but obviously if you use ordinary size doesnt matter) zest and juice of 3 oranges. 1 TBSP either white or yellow mustard seeds (Tescos sell the yellow ones..they are lovely added to Coleslaw) 1 TBsp coriander seeds, 1 TBsp ground cloves,1 TBsp ground cinnamon, 300ml red wine vinegar. 400g granulated sugar.


Put all of this in a large pan mix together and bring to a simmer, stir occasionally ...cook until thick and the beetroot is tender. Makes about 5 bottles, depending on the size of your jars. It did use a lot more sugar than this, but I always err on the side of caution, you can always add more..but I found this was enough

Hope you all enjoy if you make it, for me all this extra cooking is such a wonderful bonus when you haven't been up to par for 3 years, so we have 3 lots of chutney to look forward to now.....has anyone else any ideas ?

Regards Jan

Thanks Jan, yes that is clear.

Bridget, what an awful homecoming, we had one like that once with the freezer, horrible isn't it? We were able to get recompense because ours was a fairly new freezer fault but I hope your insurance does cover it.

I am back from my visit to the UK and we were very lucky to hsve such glorious weather. Will only whisper how awful the journey through France was yesterday!!
When we arrived home we discovered that early in owner time away we had a power cut and the large freezer and the combined fridge freezer had been affected by a the electricity going off, and so all the contents had defrosted and were rancid, added to that there where flies everywhere.
So first two hours spent pulling out both freezer / fridges, throwing away a few hundred euros of food, cleaning everywhere etc. Luckily we had bought some meat in the UK at half the price of here which were going to put into another freezer. OH is going to the bank on Monday to see if our insurance covers us and hopefully we will be getting some recopense.
Have not cooked anything yet, since last night but have a gammon joint for today, so brains on please for a really good piece of Gammon.

Only a few weeks now until my new cooker is being installed.

Bye bye for now
Bridget, I hope to be back later today.

No, not really...I would suggest that if you get the Tex Mex Chilli Mix then put in half and see if you like it, you can always step it up next time, rather than not like it.....does that make sense ?

Is it a hot chilli Jan, we don't like it too hot.

Thanks Ann know what you mean tho Lol

How about a chilli...this is definitely the best chilli I have ever tasted

Goldy's Boulder Chilli

1 1/2 lbs mince, 1 large onion chopped, 2 cloves garlic chopped, 5TBsp tomato ketchup, 1 can kidney beans in chilli sauce, 2 TBsps water, 1 TBsp
schwarz Tex Mex chilli seasoning (sold in packets) 1 TBsp Dijon mustard, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 TBsp Oregano 2 TBsp Red wine.

Basically I put it all into the slow cooker, mix well and leave all day.

serve with either rice or Doritos, Chopped onion and grated cheese on top...lovely...Texans eat it this w ay, as I found out from my friends.

Hope you all like it....really is scrummy

Making tomorrow green tomato indian chutney..will let you know how i get on.

Regards Jan