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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575
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gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
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 Posted: Thu Dec 14, 17 3:16 pm Post subject: |
 
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Welcome home Cassandra, glad all seems to be satisfactory, for you to date. Nothing wrong with an animal loving you as much as Billy; I wish my sheep dog had been as friendly towards me...and sheep thinking about it! Take care, don't overdo anything. There is always tomorrow-"yfory" in Welsh-same word as tomorrow, but without the same urgency that the word 'tomorrow' sometimes carries.
We have had a fair dollop of snow and frosts too. Our boys who do the roads are very good, they usually give 2 light dustings of salt one in the evening if they are expecting a lot of snow/frost,and one in the morning around 5am. Trouble is I have gone out before that some mornings! I don't mind the up hills it is the downwards without salt that is the problem, I just go steady 10-20mph downhill and as fast as sensible uphill, seems to work. I have permanent 4wd too so not too bad for me. There are only 2 places that are a bit iffy, so sense prevails, steady does it. We had in 2 doses around 13 inches-330mm- over 2 days, and the roads were made passable very quickly. The lads who do the job love it as snow and ice means overtime! I met the gritting lorry this morning about 2 miles into the journey so speeded up a bit after that, I may have reached 30 mph at one stage. The 'cuts' in snow clearance and gritting have arrived, however. Our local gang have had their ploughing capacity cut from 3 4wd to 2 4wd lorries, so they don't get as much done for the folks who live on side roads. It surprises me that there are massive cuts in services, and huge rises in councillors salaries and expenses, (the Audi car caused a stir), and also in my rates, I pay more annually for less. It appears that some councillors, Executives I think they call them, get over £33,000 pa(inner circle we call them) Whilst the general county councillor gets £13000. Lunches provided. 10/11 meetings per year for the normal councillor. All are plus expenses of course. I always thought that being a councillor was voluntary if you got elected! I may apply, ha ha! I am only going on hearsay, but have no reason to disbelieve what I have been told, and it appears that the payments are published, I couldn't look anyone I knew in the face if they were paying me £13000 for 11 meetings a year!-more than I currently earn in a year!
How does the saw dust keep dry MR that you do for the smokers, if it is frozen, or is moisture content not so important?
We have the skating rink at work Jam Lady. Most of our yard is concrete so we don't salt that, but I did the tarmacadam area and it lasted into today so pleased about that. They won't let us clear the snow with a new machine and bucket mounted on the front in case it gets damaged before selling it to a farmer. At any one time we have about 20 S/H tractors and loaders which we would use for power and lots of new buckets which we can't use! A new tractor would not be used to move snow!
You haven't been too far north in the winter MR. Up here in the North Staffordshire and South Derbyshire hills most roads are protected from snow drifts by secondary fencing, usually erected by the council to keep main supply routes open. I remember them well when we used to go to Sheffield to my Aunts for our second Christmas. After my Father died we usually went by train, till my brother passed his driving test-Mother wouldn't drive in bad weather!
Just remember Cassandra-please take care. |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2506
Location: New Jersey, USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15, 17 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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It was 15 degrees when I got up this morning. Overnight low was 11. That's degrees in Fahrenheit.
Good day to keep the oven on, baking cookies. Yesterday I baked the springerle I had rolled out the evening before - they have to sit before baking so the pattern sets. And also lebkuchen, for which I made a simple orange icing. I like that better than the lemon I made in previous years. Also pecan bourbon rum balls, but they simply are shaped and rolled in confectioner's sugar.
Then I made the dough for cardamom almond cookies that I'll bake today. And dough for rugelach, which also has to chill. Perhaps I'll make apricot brandy balls, another no-bake holiday item.
All except the rugelach (after it is rolled out, filled, rolled up, and baked) are long keeping cookies. And the rugelach dough can be refrigerated or frozen before filling / shaping / baking.
So Mr Jam Lord's computer club will be gifted with a nice cookie plate tomorrow. And I'll be set for the cookie plates to take to various people and places. But may make spritz cookies to "fill in the edges" when I pass those around.
I am making a list of "these cookies contain nuts." These days so many people are allergic and it is an awakening how many holiday cookies have almonds or pecans or walnuts. And honey, but that shouldn't be an issue. |
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gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15, 17 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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I can't say I blame you for not coming north at any time on a regular basis MR. It is not that we don't want you, but it is so much warmer generally in the south. I have to admit that when I was looking for a small holding I went to Cornwall and wished I had taken one that was by the main road at the 'waist' of the county About 4 miles north or south to the coast I was led to believe. I could have lived there very happily, frost free, growing potatoes-2 acres of quota, brassicas and winter barley; keeping a few pigs for manure for the spuds as pig muck is slightly acid and potatoes like it that way! There was only 12 acres to mess with, but enough for a living for me. I would have been fairly self sufficient there-and happy!-I got married instead.
I am a bit of a heathen when it comes to cooking Jam Lady. I really don't understand it. I can do enough to satisfy my needs but when it comes to cake I am lost. I seem to survive on ready made meals or jacket potatoes, with mince meat and a tin of vegetables. I have never attempted things like pastry. I don't even have an oven. Pudding for me is bought apple pie-Morrissons' is the best, with blueberries and Yeo Valley blueberry yoghurt on top, but plain natural "white" yoghurt on the base. I tried to enter the Yeo Valley club thing that gives prizes for codes on every yoghurt container, but I couldn't cope with the internet system they employed to join the club, so I haven't joined in!
I should be around tomorrow, but have a lot to do this weekend cutting wood for kindling. I am down to 20 nets and no sign of them arriving. I left the purchase to the shop owner and he hasn't bothered till now so my next 2 weeks will be on holiday at my friends for Christmas and at home netting kindling. When I think I started all this in June to get nets, I am angry that the shop man did nothing till I explained that he will be out of wood before Christmas, for him no worries he would go to his wholesaler and buy expensively from him.
Strange when you think I lived in the Black Country, Walsall, and never went on a canal boat trip, till we moved out to the outskirts of Wolverhampton. I now live close to Llangollen-10 miles-and have seen the Aquaduct, but it is too high up for me. I have a few problems with heights and Bridges-goodness knows how I have got this way, but I have, and it is so difficult-I have to plan routes carefully if I am driving, or I sometimes stop dead and can't carry on. I have to go up and down ladders 2 or 3 times part way, before I can get to the top on some occasions.
Our roads and pavements are now clear of snow, but there are large piles of the stuff when it has been piled up out of the way! |
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gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8600
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2506
Location: New Jersey, USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15, 17 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you, gz. I had found several recipes but varied explanations for the name - they look like an Afghan man with a turban (hello? Perhaps your glasses need cleaning) or a young woman was baking and mailing them to her sweetheart stationed in Afghanistan (but then where did she get the recipe?)
And having no local source wondered what they taste like. You confirmed they are delicious.
I will need to tweak the recipe - Mr Jam Lord and I do not eat cornflakes and I can only find large boxes. But Google (still my friend but we will see what happens when Net Neutrality hits the dust next month) says corn chips can be substituted for corn flakes. It was for coating fish but I don't see why it wouldn't work in Afghan cookies. The flakes / chips are crunched up so presumably it is a texture thing.
Now to turn the oven on and prepare to bake rugelach - dough has been rolled out into 12 inch circle, cut into 16 triangles, brushed with jam, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, then chopped walnuts followed by soaked then drained dried currants and finished with mini chocolate chips. Still with me? Roll up the triangles and place on sillicone baking mat, point down, then refrigerate. Brush with an egg beaten with a little water, sprinkle with sugar, then bake. Sounds complicated but its really not that bad. And rugelach are delicious. I have no interest in trying the peanut butter and chocolate chips version though. |
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cassandra
Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 17 7:29 am Post subject: |
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Apart from a trip to Hobart for the ultrasound, I have been doing nothing much really. glad we have more clement weather than you are presently enduring though with 30 degrees and strong winds forecast for Monday I think I will be doing a fair bit of grass cutting in the near future (the rain really brought it on in a rush!).
As I walk Seb I pass Vera's house which you may recall is empty now that she has been moved into the nursing home. The garden had gone to pack long before i moved into the district, but a few remnants remain, of which two are roses. Both of them are ramblers, and neither has a trellis to grow on so they sprawl all over the ground. The house was built in 1921 and prior to that the land was vacant so at least I know what vintage the roses are. One is a pink button hole which someone has guessed may be blush noisette, the other a semi-double pinkish red. The red one caught my eye as I rather fancied trying to use it for dyeing but of course I am not allowed to enter the property. This morning my nerve broke and I toddled up the street with my trug and secateurs and started deadheading it. Realising this was no doubt being observed by the entire village, I also picked a large bunch of them which I subsequently took into town with me and gave to her to cheer her up.
The deadheads have been plucked of their petals and various pots of potions are being brewed. I have about 50 25 gm balls of Patons Bluebell and Azalea in a pale cream, so have skeined these off in 50 and 100 gm skeins (an on-going process as there is a LOT of petals), and am trying various mixtures. The one already on the brew is 100g each of petals and fibre, plus 50g of rhubarb leaves (which apparently act as a mordant that does not cause colour change). Another 200g is steeping in water for 48 hours and will then be simmered with 100 gm of wool soaked in copper mordant and also solar dyed. 50gm will be put into a 1:2 mix of ammonia and water to see what happens and so forth. Since I am not terribly fond of pink I may be driven to distraction with all that yarn in various shades, so I thought I would use some of the marigold petals which should produce a nice orange which, if any of the pinks turn out to be fairly deep, will ply nicely, though will create a fairly chunky yarn. Fortunately there is no shortage of rhubarb leaves so I will have plenty of mordant to hand.
Hopefully the internet will be more cooperative tomorrow and I can post some pictures to cheer you all up. |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 17 7:51 am Post subject: |
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Sounds good Cassandra. Don't leave the rose petals too long in water as I used to try to make perfume with them as a child, and when left too long they started to rot and stank. Never did make perfume, but now have more of an idea of how it should be done.
Hope the results of everything are good.
I helped at Food Bank yesterday and chaos was reigning supreme. People have been very kind with donations, but we have very little room in our store, so there are piles of things at the back of the church. A start was made on separating all the Christmas things, so heaps of mince pies, biscuits, cakes, sweets, gravy and savouries, but the rest still to be sorted. I worked at getting out the, luckily, small number of parcels while the others sorted, aided to some extent by a group of children from a local junior school. Next week the parcels have to be made up and given out, so it is going to be busy. I have to work one of the days, so will only be able to help the second, which will be tiring enough.
Made a huge batch of mince pies when I came home, part for the food bank for offering to people coming for Christmas hampers, and the helpers, and some for us. Think that is enough for giving out, so will only make more if we run out. |
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gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 17 11:00 am Post subject: |
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Good to here from you, Cassandra, and how kind to pick the roses for Vera, I hope she is able to recognise them and is suitably cheered up! I hope you asked if she wanted any more bringing? I am only thinking of your other enterprise! I wish I had some of your rhubarb leaves. I am trying to make a mould for making ground 'tiles' with a dish in them for a bird bath. It is a bit experimental for me, I expect there is a book about if I look for it. I am worried with all these chemicals experiments of yours, it is reminiscent of me as a child when I was concocting all sorts of stuff from the pantry to make a meal 'special' for me. My mother was not happy as a widow struggling to keep 2 boys, and me wasting food. I can't be cheered up till Tuesday with your pictures as the library is closed till then.
The weather is better now, just heaps of snow piled from the clearances folks have had to do to get out or in to work school or home.
I hope the Food Bank has sufficient for the season, MR. For those with nothing, food is not just for a normal life, but also for warmth. I found that I ate much more food in the winter when I was in an unheated caravan than I do now in an unheated house. Also I have only 3 hot water bottles in bed now, but 6 when in the caravan and had to reheat some in the night in the van; not so in the house, 2 stay really warm all night, they have covers, the third one I dress up in underclothes and a shirt, to put on in the morning!
I wish you, MR, and Jam Lady, would stop talking food I am getting hungry-I'm only joking! I must go out and buy a cooker. My old one has sort of seized up with age. It used 'red' gas bottles same as the caravan because the gas doesn't freeze up in the winter. My culinary skills are nil. I did manage a joint once but had parental guidance at the time to make sure it was alright on the day-well not kill the guests anyway! I find I am eating more and more vegetarian when I am doing it for myself, often buying 'Quorn' products. The mince seems to come out just the same as the normal stuff small and hard bits, but I eat it!
I am off to see various friends today, one likes big potatoes, for jackets where one does 2 people with its filling. The other recipient has the rest as she feeds me on Saturdays, whilst her husband and I talk farming. They are both good to me. The first lady is a widow with 4 children and she runs play groups. I make lots of things for her in wood. We have a new project on the go now, an open theatre based on a pallet-4feet square and a few uprights. Then she will fill it round the sides according to the needs of the playlet of the moment.
I will finish up seeing the friend with whom I go to his derelict barn in North Wales. This has finished now till spring as there is not much to do till the planning permission comes through if it does. The alternative is to let it rot. I sometimes think the planners are so far out of touch with reality when they are so short of properties for people to live in that already exist and go for massive green field sites-what are we going to eat if they keep taking all this farming land to house people? I can live off my plot if I need to, but millions can't exist off their window sills. |
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2506
Location: New Jersey, USA
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 17 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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Cassandra, roses are very easy to root fromcuttings made from tip end of a growing shoot. So easy, in fact, that people manage it by sticking a shoot part-way into the ground and upending a clean glass jar over it. Just shade the glass so sun does not turn it into a cooker.
Off to computer club with Himself this morning - walking down snow covered driveway to his car. Yes, we got some more snow. It is 11 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, overnight low was 10 degrees Fahrenheit. I will have the cookies, packed up, plus holiday season paper plates to set them out on, my coffee mug (do not like to drink coffee from styrofoam), and my crocheting. |
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Jam Lady
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2506
Location: New Jersey, USA
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 17 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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Attendance was sparse, a baker's dozen. And I had brought 6 dozen cookies. Oh well. I packed some up for a friend who was there to bring home, gave a half-dozen to someone else, and only brought 6 cookies back home. The garage aka cool room, still has quantities of cookies. There's more dough for rugelach in the refrigerator, along with another almond cardamom "log" to be sliced and baked. And I haven't even started on the cookies that don't keep.
It's not as if there were hordes of other sweet treats either - someone brought a pumpkin pie (odd, I thought), and someone else brought those very thin sugar cookie cut outs with colored sprinkles, some of which had broken in the box. And, the computer club had their usual order of bagels.
Sigh. At least I tried.
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 17 7:24 am Post subject: |
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Bit offputting when you have made enough to feed the 5000 and only a dozen turn up Jam Lady. Still as you say, you tried, and it sounds as if everyone did very well. Your selection looks good, although I don't know what half of them are as I haven't come across them. I will have to look them up.
It sounds as if your house is a bit warmer than the caravan Gregotyn, even if it is unheated. It was probably built to withstand your winters without the occupants freezing. A joint isn't too hard to cook. I put the vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions and leeks cut up in the bottom of a pan, add enough water to come half way up them, then put the joint on top. Cook at gas mark 6 for 20 mins a lb and 20 mins over for all but pork which is 25 mins a lb. There isn't a lot of fat in this and you can use the liquid as gravy, or thicken it if you like. Pretty basic, but it is the way we like it.
Did log sacks again yesterday and managed 20. I have 50 already, and we are have them to deliver early next week if needed. I want to get as many as possible as 'spares' so if they are needed and get called for, they are there. One of our outlets seems to be selling them like hotcakes.
Have a day off today, so hoping to get the Christmas cards done. |
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gregotyn
Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
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| Posted: Tue Dec 19, 17 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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I would have helped you out with the cookies, Jam Lady, they look yummie! If I had been there you wouldn't have needed to take any home.
My house is a lot warmer than the caravan MR, and I am working my way to the other wood burner, to see if that will extract the smoke uo the chimney. The one in the front sitting room won't, so I am going to have a go at the one in the kitchen, and will start eating in there if it will fire up and get rid of the smoke! My hot water bottles are still warm in the morning and Saturday night's were not cold-cold when I came to do them for Sunday into Monday night. Bed must be well insulated!
I have been log selling nets from the house roadside on Saturday afternoon, 3 gone so far but folks will need time to get into the idea that there is an alternative to the local shop, or having to buy a trailer load at one go. This is much more for being seen to do the job, then wait till next year when I plan to be unemployed; I am getting tired more now when I get home and not wanting to do as I used to when I got home. I guess age is catching up with me. The shop has run out of my reserve of nets, the last 15 went in yesterday, so they will be without till the next lot of nets arrive, due tomorrow, but I am away on Friday night in theory. At least I am off work Thursday/Friday so I should be able to keep them going till after Christmas. Hopefully! I don't want to lose any customers to the opposition, but it wouldn't be my doing, it is the net buyer who failed me not the supplier of the nets. I started the ball rolling in August and the buyer only got excited 2 days ago, in spite of my entreaties for him top get on with it.
I should be with you on Thursday, but if the nets haven't arrived with me on Wednesday, I will have to wait for them, so that I can get some in to him by Friday before I go away on Saturday morning. The main thing is I have the stock just need the means of packing them! |
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 17 7:22 am Post subject: |
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It is annoying when people don't bother with things like that Gregotyn. As you say, you need the packaging. Luckily I got my supply of log bag nets through before I ran out, as they have been going fast. Luckily I think we have delivered all that are needed before Christmas, but I want to have some in reserve just in case.
Nice that you have sold a few log bags, even if it isn't very many. I finally sold one of my baskets a week or so ago. Someone that saw them at a show wanted one for a Christmas present for his wife, and enquired by e-mail, so got it sent off and he paid for it. Son also sold an axe loop to go on the belt, so although it wasn't that much, we were quite pleased about that.
I helped at the Food Bank Christmas hamper hand out yesterday. We did 115 hampers and had 3 more people come in who needed food, but weren't on the list for hampers, so we had to make them up parcels. Considering everything, it went pretty smoothly. The local newspaper came and took pictures, and had an interview with our manager, so don't know if there will be a write up in the paper. Anyway, it means that a lot of families who might have been hard pressed for Christmas dinner and the extras will have something, including a present for each child. The children in particular won't have to go back to school and say they didn't have any presents, and had a good dinner. We had piles of mince pies, Christmas puddings, cakes, biscuits and sweets on tables, so each parcel got some of them. Lovely that people were so generous donating.
Still sorting our a mixture of the business and ourselves for Christmas, so rather busy at the moment. Hoping for a bit of a break over the holiday so I can slow down a bit. |
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