The Hermaphrodites and Custard Discussion Board

lovely

Very nice

You have a talent Sid .

Wow, that is stunning Sid, The butterflies look very real....it's great!

Very pretty Sid - the flowers really lift it so doesnt look dark in photo.

I LOVE IT SID! NICELY DONE!! THANK YOU!!

Very nicely done Sid ! I would like to see more of your paintings sometime, if you wouldn't mind sharing.

This is beautiful, Sid :) I'm w/ Flcrazy...more please!

I thought Gardengnome was a female woman of the opposite sex ;-) not a bloke.

Thanks for the kind comments everyone :-) I will have a look to see what else I've got that is roughly garden-related!

Gg - glad you like it :-)

Ams/Gg - Oh dear - I thought all gardengnomes were male men of the blokish persuasion with beards and ruddy noses and a leaning towards dungarees - sorry about that Miss/Mrs/Ms Gg!!! x-D

Very well done Sid...really like your work...and Gg..was precious to let you use her photo...

Sid I don't sweat the small stuff...so forget about it!! : - )

Fantastic artwork.
Excellent with the colours you've chosen.
Sid ~ Well done. :o)

Thanks TT - Gg's photo was so lovely tho it would have been hard for me to mess it up!

Hi Sid! I just started experimenting with pastels too! I think they're great. This is lovely. the softness of the pastels really work with butterflies!! Great job...looking forward to a series... what's next?

Thanks Lori :-) I'm really enjoying the pastels at the moment. My teacher recommended a really cheap set you can get that's got 36 colours, so I'm enjoying experimenting with them and seeing just what sort of effect you can get and mixing colours etc. I have also done some apples and a portrait of one of the ladies in my class. What next...? I'm itching to do some flowers, but not a great selection outside at the moment!!

suggestion Sid....go back to your summer posts...and make a selection...
0 :-)

Good idea Lori - also other members' pictures :-)

thats realy good for your third go .ive bean using pastels and pencils for 17 years.i was lucky i found my ideal mediem strate away.i couldnt do oils im to messy id end up with more on me.ive only got to check the oil in a car and its up me nose,in me ears etc .i was born to be a scruff lol

ha ha ha.....I'm a bit like that with flour in the kitchen....keep finding deposits of it for weeks afterwards.....

I run around with hay in my hair..have had more people suddenly reach toward me out of the blue to drag a bit out for me...startles me when I am standing in the line at the grocerie and a stranger does it...LOL...

Oh...LOL...just hilarious... I have paint spots on everything I own....I drag myself to bed..bone tired...and look in the mirror next morning and there's always paint on my face somewhere!! Occupational hazards...folks! I think we should all wear then as if they were a badge of honour...show's we're busy people.

LOL..yes but you know hay in the hair seems to mesmerise people...I find them just staring ..I look over my shoulder, roll eyes side to side ..up down and then finally think .."Oh..hay in my hair again." so reach and tug it out...if they haven't finally just tugged it out for me...seems to satisfy the staring person...they smile and focus on something else...there has to be some deep lizard brain thing going on with hay in the hair...makes them hungry...you think?

or it could be people thinking maybe you havnt got a horse lol .seams your all messy must be a gardening or art thing lol.you should see the looks i get when i bye hairspray (to hold the pastels) but they dont know that.and im perticuler to.ive found the very best of them all is silvercryn firm hold.weather thats relevent to hair i havnt got a clue funnily enough .

LOL..this makes me think of going ino the grocery with the Diver I used to work with..he would not even get a cart..just pick up womens large size pads, nylons, baby power, marbles, kitchen scrubbies & mineral oil...LOL...baby powder was for the neck piece of his dry suit..and all the rest was for his own home built scrubber filter for his air compressor...it had to run with mineral oil for a lubricant ...he found one brand of unscented size large pads worked best too...the nylons were for when he used a wet suit...LOL...I just walked around with him rolling my eyes..he seemed oblivious to the looks of others...LOL..thought it good of him to not have me carry them for him...I think he enjoyed making people puzzle over it actually...

Oh lots of wonderful images in my head now! Thank you, you lot!

Cat - Well, I don't know, but there is a certain inuendo concerning hay in ones hair....bit like grass staines on the seat of ones garments.......well, I mean how could it have possibly got there, hmmmmm? x-D

Lori - some of my bestest comfyest cloths have got spots of paint on them - I'm sure people dispare of me.... it's good to know I'm not alone in that respect!

Oh dear ....lol..they could not be thinkin that...Sarah!...I am shocked!...lol

Makes me think of a magnet I carried in my store..

said..

"Your angel is watching over you,
and she is Shocked!

LOL

ha ha - good one!

ow they could well be thinking that lol.i like leaving the shop keepers puzzled .as for e if i cared what other people thaught i wouldnt have a large tattoo on my head.i remember renting a lorry and bying a hole trolly of chip fat as at the time t was about half the price of diesel and i had to do 600 miles so i saved quite a bit.funnily enough chip fat is more per litre now than diesel lol.anyway as i was paying for about 40 5 litre bottles the woman on the till couldnt help herself and asked what it was for.of the top of my head i said me and some friends are going to a slope big lump of polythene.were all going to have a slide orgy with the oil.you should of sean her face it was a picture of confusion.i fell about laughing when i got outside lol

Oh you are bad....I would have liked to have seen her face - bet it was priceless ;-)

i couldnt miss that opertunity or when we had to fill up eventualy with proper diesel as it was a lorry i looked down the fuel pipe.i said to me mate who was driving gary theres a chip in there.he only looked lol.i should of put some of that black stuff rund the fuel pipe lol.only down side was every time we stopped people were asking for sausage and chips lol.the last bits a joke if ya didnt guess lol

Oh welll..I certainly don't care what they are thinking..would be worried if they thought I smelled of chips all the time though...LOL...gulls would be trailing every where....now THAT could get messy...

dont bare thinkin about lol

ha ha...NP when I was a kid I put shoe polish around the eye-peices of dad's binoculars and told my sister to look at something out the window....it worked a treat! x-)

LOL. Well done Sid. I love these stories. Of course, I ALWAYS look well turned out....hair done nicely, make up done to perfection, immaculate clothes........NOT....!! LOL.
As a mechanic I'm sure that there has never been a dirtier one!! Always grease on my face and in my hair. In the garden my hair is always full of dead leaves and twigs and pine needles. If I'm in the kitchen there is flour everywhere or rice or noodles or whatever it is I'm using. I think it shows that we have higher minds......more important things to think about.....

Garden gnomes can't all be male men of the blokish persuasion with beards and ruddy noses and a leaning towards dungarees....if that were the case, where would baby garden gnomes come from????

Sid your pastel painting is fabulous. Well done. Post more please.

sisters always deserve that to nice one sid. ofcourse you do gilli i b elieve you millions mite not lol.your right how can you not be at one with nature without dirty fingernails lol though i draw the line at engines and oil etc.you can imagine with a bald head to.ow and the capacity to move nowear and still totaly lose bits of say a car break or a nut,pencil whatever lol and if that isnt enough im clumsy.i guess in my case ive got no choice but to look scruffy.i call it being real myself

Well, NP. It should be really easy to clean oil and grease from your bald head....However, I do believe you are talking about smashing your noggin on things under the bonnet? Now that I can imagine. Especially as Murray has done it a few times since he shaved his head in support of Brad and his Chemotherapy. Not a pleasant thing to do, I can tell. :o)

ow i do bang my head and there is some choice words but ill leave them words to your imagination lol gilli

Gilli - you're a mechanic? Well, Go Girl! When you say, '...shows that we have higher minds......more important things to think about' I think that's probably right - I have a fridge magnet that says 'I'm creative - You can't expect me to be tidy as well!' BTW, I do believe garden gnomes are hermaphrodite....

with beards like that lol

woah...does she know???

ok...Lori...now I am lost..was keeping up with it all and doing just great and then you go..."Woah...does she know?" ..ummm...who knows what?

my eyes are rolling in my head like marbles....getting dizzy and sinkin fast..help..blub...blub..blub

me to cat lol

I think Lori is asking whether Gardengnome is aware she is hermaphrodite.....well I'M certainly not going to ask her!

me either lol

Lori..you go ahead...you ask....

yes lori lol

maybe she meant Gilli?..snicker...snicker....gurck..snicker...

keep ya claws in girls lol

I think what Gilli meant is that garden gnomes are androgenous...hermaphrodite has a slightly different connotation...
No personal comment here...just tweaked my quirky sense of humour!

Well......ummm......errr......I think I'm speechless......LOL. I have a book on gnomes and it quite clearly shows gentlemen gnomes, lady gnomes and baby gnomes.........all with the obligatory red pointy hats on their heads...... :o)

lol lol

there now see? all better.

my apologies to Sid, Gardengnome, Gilli and who ever else...I'm outa here~~!

What was that? ok..apology accepted....not sure for what..but I will help...it's accepted.

so where were we?...oh yeah...you should have seen the mess I made of myself with the bowl of ice cream I decided to have for dinner...it was called of all things Sticky Toffee Pudding....oh yum...the slurpiness of it all...and you know Sid...you should do a blog of your garden art...it would be fantastic...

I'm not sure what the apology is for either. No prob's Lori. :o)

Cat - a bowl of ice cream for dinner???? Sticky Toffee Pudding.....I love Sticky Toffee Pudding. Yum yum yum. Wherever did you find that kind?

I got a wild hair and said to me...what do you WANT for dinner.."why a bowl of ice cream I said to me"...so I gave me permission and that is what I had...not what you would call all that healthy and now while I am watching Craig Ferguson before closing down for the night I feel a bit hungry...but I am not going to eat ..until morning....new diet plan of course...see how this one works..lol..I just ran across it in my QFC grocery store..was surprised..since I have been hearing from someone so much about it...so of course it is what I chose...was very yummy may have to try it again when the craving strikes...doubt I will want ice cream for dinner every night....lol...Sid...you probably are able to find it there easily and do you put on a custard topping?

dribble lol

I take it you would put on the custard topping then NP...dribbling around GOY like that. LOL

Thank you for the apology Lori. I also don't know what you're apologising for, but I accept it graciously with the proviso that you don't do it again.....whatever it was you did.

Cat - you had sticky toffee pudding flavoured ice cream?....cor, there are such amazing things in the world that I am yet to discover........ But wait, I'm confuzed again - did you have STP flavoured ice cream or did you have STP AND icecream? Defo have warm STP with custard over here - winter/comfort food!

Re the garden art blog thingy....well I haven't really got much to show...bit odd really things considered! There's a few horses, buildings, landscapes, still lifes (when I've been really bord!), but not many flowers and gardeny things......maybe I'll do s'thing like that this summer :-) Oh yeah, and NP has been giving me advice on how to do a concrete sculpture for my garden....I'm still undecided about what that it's going to be......I'm thinking maybe a horses head, but I think that might be a tad too ambitous for a beginner.....but anyway, I'll defo do a blog on that when I get around to it :-)

It was sticky toffee pudding flavored icecream had chunks of yummy toffee something in it..was very good...the icecream had a custardy flavour too...will have to have it again...We don't have Sticky toffee pudding here so I was surprised to see it..have been hearing a bit about it and was thrilled to see it on the freezer shelf at the grocery...Do you make it homemade?
I would love to see your work Sid...if it is like what you have done here...it would be fun to see more of it for sure...!

Oh I see....well in that case.....would I put custard on STP flavoured ice cream? Now there's a deep philosophical-tpye question! It does sound very nice.......not something I've come across..... I like the custard hot, so it would melt the custard....not always a bad thing........I've got some Belgian-choc icecream in the freezer....ummmmm....although that is not as yummi as the Strawberry Cheesecake flavoured one I had before - now THAT was art.

Do I make it homemade? (excuse me while I fall off my chair laughing......there, that's better) NO! I certainly don't attempt making it myself - I'm probably the worlds worst cook! ha ha ha.....all I 'make' is a mess........well that's what my family would say anyway ;-)

NO..Sarah...I meant custard over Sticky Toffee Pudding..so you would heat it up to have it over the pudding?...Wow..now that sounds gooey and wonderful to the max!

They do not sell custard in cartons here...how do you make it?

OOOOOOOOOOHHHH, YES! Hot custard poured generously over a steaming sticky toffee pud....mmmmmmmm....now you're talking......!!!! ;-)

Look for a tin of Bird's custard powder Cat. It is a red, blue and yellow cardboard type tin. Usually somewhere around the baking things in the grocery store. Instructions are on the tin. Sorry to all those wonderful cooks who actually whip up their own from scratch!! :o)

And, if you happen to be up in Abbotsford, just over the boarder, in an area called Clayburn Village, there used to be a little english sweet shop and tea house right on the corner. They only have one corner. They used to serve sticky toffee pudding there. Whether they are still in business or not I don't know but if you are ever in the area it is worth checking out. Yum yum yum.

Another pudding I LOVE but haven't had in years is treacle sponge pudding. Oh oh oh.....now I'm making myself drool.... :o)

Thanx..Gilli!!!..I knew you could come up with help on this...mmm..I will hae to see if I can find the custard powder...Will have to ask my other source if he like your treacle sponge pudding..what flavor is it?

Oh sorry Cat - I missed your question about making custard....yes, Gilli is right about the Birds Custard. Custard powder is highly flammable - don't mix it near an open flame x-) I haven't a clue how to make it proper (it would be a disaster if I tried it anyway!) but maybe a google would bring up the recipe? Personally, I'm so bad at cooking, I don't even buy the Birds powder, I get Ambrosia Devon Custard ready made in a carton ....MMmmmmmmmmm..... Oh, BTW, treacle pud is treacle flavoured lol and it too must only be eaten with custard, It's the law.

Gilli - ever had warm Jamaica ginger cake with hot custard..... drrrrroooollll.......

Ok off go "a "googling I go..to find treacle(what in the world is treacle I say) and custard recipes..and ..and..and..hmmmm..this custard must be heavenly...and very rich...I would think....we most often just use whipping cream, meringue toppings..or ice cream...

Did you find out what treacle is? Kinda like golden syrup, but darker and thicker.....used to make bonfire toffee, of which I have lovely memories from the days before fillings......ah well... Hm, yes, custard is a bit of a British tradition isn't it! I'm looking forward to hearing your verdict :-)

I did and was surprised that it is like molasses as well ..and that golden syrup is used instead of honey in a lot of cases...hmm..and also that Sticky Toffee pudding has dates in it and it is also often served with a Toffee sauce rather than a custard sauce. Sure sounds good..all of it ..yum...now I need to find a bundt pan or a spring form..I think I have a spring form..may try making this when I have a spare minute...LOL

Hmmm. Cat, I have never had dates in Sticky Toffee Pudding. It does have a toffee sauce though....lovely sticky, sweet, ymm. It is absolutely the best with the toffee sauce AND the custard. You may be able to find the Ambrosia Devon Custard down there too, in tin cans not cartons, like Sid mentioned. The tin cans have a green label with yellow printing and a picture of a farm or something on the front.
Treacle doesn't have as strong a flavour as Molasses unless it is Black Treacle which is quite strong.
If you can't find the Bird's down there let me know and I'll send you some. :o)

Sid ~ Warm Jamaica ginger cake with custard??? Ohhhhhh! Now you are bringing back memories. LOL.....I'm going to be dreaming of treacle and ginger cake and custard tonight. :o) And the bonfire toffee, and parkin, and treacle tarts and everything else that I haven't tasted in years. Talk about 'sweet' dreams.!!

dribble lol

Cat - yes I suppose treacle is rather like molasses - we used to feed that to the horses, but I never tried it myself LOL (might have made the horses jealous x-) )

Gilli - I've not had dates in sticky toffee pud either.....tut - call me a purist, but I don't agree with all this messing around with traditional puds! Dates, indeed...... But defo Toffee sauce AND Custard ..... hhhhhh ... mmmm ..... slurp....

Gilli - something for your dreams tonight - Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake with Hot Chocolate Sauce AND Custard :-D

NP - now that's the second time you've dribbled on my butterfly drawing - you're gunna make the pastels run!

LOL.....somebody hand that man a serviette. :o)

Sid ~ I'm gaining weight just thinking of these things....
Do you know, I haven't even had a victoria spounge cake in eons. Mum didn't make them after we moved here. The flour is different and at the time, you couldn't get self-raising flour. She used to make fabulous victoria spounge too. :o(
I agree about this messing about with traditional favourites. It shouldn't be allowed.

not with me in the audiaince listerning yum dribble

Well when I put it into google..they all came up with dates in it..the supposedly English traditional ones too...I was surprised at that because GF has never mentioned dates...showed me his bowl of it on web cam even and it looked awfully good with custard sauce on it..and nice and gooey...but never saw anything that looked date like in there...oh well..will have to wait till I get there I imagine, to try the real thing. The ice cream was good..I got it again the other night, had to check you know..no dates and it was definetly a custard base icecream with this wonderful toffee and something spongy in there..it is by Hagen Das Gilli..bet you could find it up there..

jutp put the lot over and send it over slurp dribble

Mmmmm - yes, me to! But I don't want to share mine with NP - not with all that dribbling and slurping x-D I'm off to Tescos in a bit....will defo check out the Hagen Das icecream.......

Oh dear Gilli - no Victoria Sponge cake? Could you make one? Flour's flour, right? Or so I thought?!

Here's another one for you to dream about - banana loaf cake and hot custard - delish! :-)

behave lol

They didn't have any of the sticky toffee pud icecream at Tescos :-(
But I did get some Jamaica ginger cake and a carton of custard x-)

oh dear..I am going to have to figure this custard business out..I love custard pie...so I am sure I would love this pourable custard..lol..no calories right? Has eggs in it so must be full of protien...has to be a health food...

ofcourse theres no calories and if ya botherd send it to me lol

HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....I THINK ALL OF YOU ARE NUTS!!!!! I have been laughing for the last thirty minutes!! This is why I really enjoy this website....androgenous....herma......HA HA HA..HEE HEE..TEE HEE...HOOOO HO HO HO .....HA HA HA HA HA HA ....

GG?...guess you got a laugh out of that...LOL...!!!

GG ~ I bet you would like sticky toffee pudding too....with custard...and the Jamaica ginger cake.....and the treacle sponge pudd....and everything else. :o)

Hmmm Sid, I think I could pass on the banana loaf.....never have liked bananas.....left over from school dinners where they made lumpy custard with skin on it and sliced bananas in it.....I couldn't stomach it but the monitors used to stand over me and make me eat every bit. :o( I've never eaten bananas since. Rather the same with liver (I used to think it was crocodile meat) and pink blancmange. Blech!!

Cj ~ Hagan Daas sticky toffee pudding ice cream?? OOOooo. Maybe I can get it up here. I'll have to have a look. Did you find Birds custard powder?

I could try and make a Victoria Sponge Sid. It's just that I'm not very good at cakes. They usually end up being flat and heavy..... :o(

Cj - I've PM'd you a recipe....!!

I am going to be a blimp at this rate..no use me flying over I will have to float...if I make that recipe I will eat it all myself and then what next...it is all I can do to not run to the store for the ice cream again...

LOL.....Cj, have the custard on the ice cream and eat half as much. :o)

Oh...uh..thank you Gilli...that helps...waddle..waddle..off to the grocery I go.....yummers...waddle....waddle.

GG - Have you stopped laughing yet? Good. You are probably wondering how my butterlfys drawing turned into a discussion about hermaphrodites and custard. For that matter, so am I..........

Gilli - I'm with you on the liver and pink blancmange (seeing the two in the same sentance is making me feel ill), oh but banana loaf cake! Lovely... yummi .... moist ...... MMmmmmmm...... :-) Now you've got me dribbling too...the whole place will be awash if this keeps up...

Cat, AKA Blimp, walking to and from the store will burn off the calories from the custard and icecream, thus an equilebrium will be kept. If not, I fear for poor Flash's knees.......

Last time I ate the ice cream..discovered my childhood allergy to dairy products has returned and will not be able to eat whole carton in one setting anymore...!..Could not hear and throat was swollen next day..not a good sign..so maybe Flash is safe...but I am very frustrated..!!!!!! Waddle..quack...dribble...sniff...

Oh no Cat....I suppose that is just nature saying..."lay off the ice cream". Does that apply to the custard too? Grrrrrr.

Sid, I hadn't really pictured the liver and blancmange on the same plate but when I did...well, it is definitely the stuff of nightmares!!
Don't worry about the dribbling.....I brought a mop and bucket. Hee hee hee.
Now, if you had been talking about orange cranberry loaf cake...with custard of course....I would have been dribbling along with you....ooops....there I go...good job for the mop.

I just found this very long series of comments and all I have to say is....Does anyone know where to find Ambrosia devon custard in the US. I have not been able to find this in ages and I can't make my Trifle recipe without it. I suppose I could make it from scratch but it never seems to be the same.

Ambrosia Devon custard did I see that when I googled for treacle pudding?
hmmmmm..

Wohlibuli....I did a search on Google "Ambrosia Devon Custard USA" and it came up with a list of online british food stores in the US where you can order from (Including Amazon.com). If you prefer Bird's Custard Powder you can get that through Amazon as well or from the same online shops supplying british foods.

Thanks Gilli I'll try Amazon. : )

why am i dribling on a gardening site lol

Cat - I am alarmed to hear of your icecream-ailment. Could you have suffered a head-freeze do you think from all that ice-cold-icecream? The only cure I know of for such a thing is a quickly administered infusion of hot chocolate fudge sauce, washed down by lashings and lashings of hot custard.

Gilli - orange cranberry loaf cake with custard sounds dreamy :-) Keep that mop and bucket close at hand. I wonder if there is a gardening use for all that liquid?

Wohlibuli - we Brits have gathered up all the custard in the world and are keeping it all for ourselves. HA! ha ha ha ha ha!!!! If you want us to share, you will have to give us, ummmmm....lets saaaaaayyyy.......Alaska. Oo, no, what am I talking about, let's chose somewhere warm..........we'll have Florida ;-)

NP - I am going to change the name of this picture/thread thingy........

I've just been scoffing pancakes x-) But not with custard....with golden syrup and caster sugar and icecream :-)

the other option is just send it all to me yummy lol

LOL..great new name Sarah...lol...do you think it will confuse everyone but us?..LOL...Now I want pancakes..... /:( quack..waddle....waddle..to my cupboard to see if I have pancake mix....make your own NP....not getting mine....waddle.

thats not very nice cat id make you a pancake lol

Yes, Cat - I'm confuzed all the time, so I thought I might as well drag everyone else down with me!

NP wants us to send him all our Nice Stuff........... fat chance! x-D

Bet I am more confused than you Sarah...LOL...

Cooking lessons would be a good thing for you NP... :o) ....ummm..you know how to make a pancake????..LOL...is that with flour or your mud you potter with?...makes a difference you know...lol..!!!

as it goes joking aside im a realy good cook.i do a mean roast.spag bol or one of my faves bangers and mash with onion gravy.why you all picking on me youl hurt my fealings lol

They don't come much more confuzed than me Cat!

Oooo - hear that Cat? NP's a good cook! Right, over to Norfolk then for bangers & mash to be followed by pancakes. Think you can handle that NP? :-D

NP ~
Please bake apple pie and custard for me, so that I can justifiably discuss it on this thread. :o)
Terra x

Hi TT - welcome to the Hermaphrodites and Custard Discussion Board - more the merrier! x-D

Well......only just caught up with this...and guess who baked treacle sponge and custard for pudding last night girlies, ???? :o) Night before....chocolate brownies with fresh cream........and they were good!!

Hush Janey or you'll start NP off dribbling again and before we know it we'll all be knee deep... After me and Cat and Gilli have scoffed NP's bangers & mash and pancakes (and TT has scoffed all his appley pies & Custard), next stop will be Janey's to sample her treacle pud & Custard and Oooooooo, slurp, Chocolate Brownies...mmmmmmm....

TT - Do you think it might be possible to borrow the Wellie Olympic Bus for this little expedition please?

Janey, can you satisfy a question that came up earlier in this thread - are there dates in treacle pud?

Well not in mine Gilli....only 25th February!! (sorry! :o) )

Boom-boom...... x-)

Travel in Wellie Olympic hot air balloons is available as illustrated on my map in blog # 12 Winter Wellie Olympics.

Of course, if anyone has extra gas or hot air from eating the wrong foods, that could upset navigation plans completely.

We would need guaranteed gas-free recipes from NP. :o)

Well that cuts out Finn for a start TT......!

Boy O' Boy this blog will really make you crave the goodies! I had to make a dessert tonight after reading about so many on here. I made Boston Cream Pie, which you all probably have never heard of. It is a sponge cake (like Victoria sponge) filled with custard and then topped with a chocolate ganache. Super sweet and super delish! : )

Janey!!!! Treacle spounge pudd and custard.....please please please pop some in a box and send it to me..........yum yum dribble !!

Sid ~ that wasn't dates in treacle spounge it was dates in sticky toffee pudd.

Cat ~ English pancakes are different than North American ones. They are more like a crepe. North American ones are thicker and, I think but could very well be wrong, are called flapjacks????

Bangers and mash NP? I'll be right there. Or perhaps Toad in the Hole????

TT ~ I have an apple pie in the making right now. Made with Spartan apples as that is all I had. Spartan apples are a true Canadian apple cultivar, bred by Dr. R.C. Palmer in 1926 in Summerland, BC. They are a medium size, good all purpose apple with a red blush on a pale green or yellow background......There, now this is a gardening thread.!!

Guess what I acquired yesterday from my lovely lovely Mum??? A real, honest to goodness, genuine, authentic jar of Lyles Golden Syrup. Hee hee hee....its mine all mine!! All I need now are some crumpets....I feel a trip to the grocery store coming up.

Boston Cream Pie...yumm..Wohibuli...Love.. love.. it....oh dear I am going to need to go find a goodie now..darn...darn..and I was doing so good too! What the heck is a Banger...????NP...? does anyone know what a Banger is....? hmmmm....Lyles Golden syrup???oh my...hmmm...should I be wanting this Gilli? Peanut butter and honey on toast..hmmmmm...that is all I can find for now...oh dear...oh gosh not gooey enough...phooey...where are my keys..need to get to the grocery for some of that Sticky Toffee Pudding ice cream again...only hope for me now...bye..waddle..bye..for now...

about the butterflie picture lol ow see i jinxed ya cat i told you to send me your ice cream lol

im gonna have bangers and mash today dribble lol

OMG Cat I thought I was the only one who ate p'nut butter and honey on toast. It's been my fav since I was a kid. Super yum!
A banger is a sausage,and mash is mashed potatoes, if you add cabbage to the mash and fry it in a skillet you have Bubble and Squeak! Very tasty!
Years ago I did some experiments (in college) making trad. Pecan pies with different syrups, molasses, maple, sorghum etc. The best one was with Lyle's. I called it "Golden Pecan Pie" and I still make it that way today. (Got an "A" too) : )

Boston cream pie was a huge hit and has been requested again this weekend! I just love to bake! Maybe even more than gardening. Should I hang my head in shame! : )

Ooh....that sounds fandabbydozy Wohlibuli...and golden pecan pie...........heaven.............. Bubble and squeak is great with left over sprouts and a bit of bacon frizzled in...can't guarantee that is gas-free TT....!
Mmmmm....the apple pie sound so yummy.....Gilli...a neighbour of mine has loads of Bramley Apple trees in her garden and in the Autumn there's lots of windfalls.....mmmmm.......
My all time fave is Lemon Cheescake made with lemons, cream. and a whole tin of condensed milk on a digestive biscuit and honey base......topped with more cream.......lick..lick!

Methinks Finn could go along in the balloon as a ready source of gas, should we have altitude problems.

Any ideas on where to get the "hot air" for the balloons ???

With fab cooking from Wohlibuli, we'll all put on too much weight, so might need extra wind-power to get airborne.

Sorry NP...did not go out and get the STP....stuck one toe out and decided it was too dark and freezing for ice cream...so waddled back to my pantry and had pb and honey on toast...it worked to stop the craving...now when you make these bangers and mash..NP...do you put it all in one pan and fry it all together?..what sort of seaonings..NP? Thrill me with your chef skills.....details..I need details...what sort of sausage..? I do think Wohibuli (what is Wohibuli by the way?) Bubble & Squeak speaks for itself...LOL...but it does sound yummy..if I were allowing myself potatoes would have to give it a try...cabbage yes, sausage yes...not potatoes...making homemade chicken soup this morning.think I will have to throw in some cabbage and sausage & and just a smidge of red pepper flake too...mmm..hearty & warm for my tummy. I will have it this afternoon when I come in from my garage sale for a cup of it..better get on with it..7:45 a.m. already!!!! For breakfast I am having oatmeal with apples cooked with it..(porridge) splenda, cream and maybe a dab of cream fresh -n- a cup of black coffee...lol..will hold me through building a fire in the garage wood burner and until I can get away for my soup....happy munching, gardening and cooking...chomp...

well cat firstly sometimes less is more.you choose the sausages you like .you fry them with a little bit of crushed garlic.olive oil and a bit of butter.then you get some decent gravy or make your own if you have time.you add the gravy when the sausages are browned and let that simmer.you then overcook your spuds a bit,add salt,butter and cream to taste and mash it up.then though if you want you could have any veg.i just get some good quality peas ,pinch of salt,pinch of sugar and a sprig of mint .then you just serve it up yum yum

Gilli - dates in sticky toffee pud was it? Oh well, I did say I was easily confuzed! Re the pancakes - I like the British ones AND the American ones! I loved it when I visited Canada being able to have a pile of Really Thick pancakes for breakfast served with a JUG of maple syrup! Oh yummy, yummmy, yummy! You just don't get that sort of thing over here! Not sure how healthy it is mind you?! Maple syrup is expensive over here - I sometimes get some from the super market, but I don't think I've ever come across it at an eating place, except as an ingredient - you never get a JUG full!!! Flapjacks on the other hand are made with golden syrup, butter and OATS. They are nice, but make me cough ;-)
Did your golden syrup come in a jar or in a nice shiny tin with a lion on the front? :-)

Cat - A banger is a pork sausage - so called because they can explode a bit in the frying pan if you don't prick them with a fork ;-) I've never tried peanut butter......

NP - I like the sound of the way you do your bangers n mash! Think I will try it like that next time :-) The way I do it, I just fry the bangers in one pan, fry the onions in another pan and boil the potatoes in a third pan. To make the gravey I crumble an Oxo cube into the onions, add a bit of corn flour for thickness and hot water, either from the kettle or from the potatoes if they're done. For the mash, I mash in an egg and some milk to make it really creamy x-) To serve, just for a laugh, I put a pile of mash in the middle of the plate, stick the bangers in 'cow-pie' style and then pour the onion gravey over the top lol

I'm with you Sid, I love maple syrup on pancakes, esp. Buckwheat pancakes, but as you say you only get the really good maple syrup in the area it is native too. I have found some great foods while traveling. There is just nothing tastes as good as a local speciality! I haven't eaten Lobster in decades, cause none could be as good as the fresh off the boat ones in Maine USA. Terrific. Can't believe you haven't had peanut butter, but then ask an American if they have ever had Marmite. : ) I love oatmeal but today I had Grits for breakfast, a southern speciality even many "Yankees"(northern Americans) haven't ever had. It's like Polenta!

ask a northaner what a savaloy is (uk) ow you got to stick the bangers in the mash and poar the gravey over.you shouldnt waste the flaver so all in the same pan.eggs are good in mash but i find if ya do it right i dont need it.realy youve got to go with your own personal taste.i use the old style gravy that you have to gently heat.i think that instant gravy is horrible to average.i am real fussy about mash or fried eggs.they have to be perfect.i make a fine full english to as it goes.i did train as a chef about 3.000,0000 years ago lol.i hate all that ponsy food you get eating out.id rather just have a good unhealthy wholesome dinner with said apple pie.you do realise from reading this blog ive tripled my body weight lol

id like to fit through the back door to my garden in the spring please lol

Wohlibuli - I know what you mean about the food you come across when travelling - I remember having a fish soup in France which was very nice (don't get that in Uk) and on my travells in Thailand the food was absolutely delishous! And so simple too - just basic engredients mostly - but the language barriers stops me from getting to the bottom of exactly what it is I'm eating half the time! So long as I know what the meat is, I'm happy most of the time LOL I did pick up one recipe which is to die for - it's a thai style curry (coconut milk/cream & red curry paste) with tomatoes and lychees and chicken or duck. The hotness of the curry with the sweetness of the lychees - oh, it's just SOOO yummmy! Mouth watering at the thought of it! Actually - funny story there - I went into a supermarket in Bangkok and asked one of the staff where the lychees were.....and I was taken to the cheese counter, where the 'nice cheese' was... ha ha ha........

Re peanut butter - I know it's very popular in the USA because of American TV programs! But not so here - it is sold here, but not commonly eaten - as you say like Marmite over there I suppose.

I'm interested in this Grits business - I used to have a few chickens and fed them on something called Grit which was supposed to be high in calcium to make the egg shells strong!!! Hmmmm, how are your eggs this morning Wohlibuli?!

NP - I will defo try the all-in-one-pan trick next time I do bangers n mash - thanks for the tip! I like to do a full English in the summer when I'm going to be off on a long hike - plenty of energy for getting up those hills! I'm gaining weight just reading this thread................

LOL Nobody but a southerner understands Grits. It is actually a porridge made out of ground corn. A little thinner than the Italian Polenta. It is very tasty with garlic and cheese. It is used a lot in Creole cooking which is the native cooking of New Orleans and the surrounding areas of the southern US. When I was a tiny child my older sister was very ill and my mother left me with our neighbor a loving women from an old Creole family Elrita Pregens Farquhar. She taught me to love that style of food. Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie and File Gumbo..... seems like there ought to be a song in there somewhere! LOL
Sometimes I just get a little weird! : )
Gotta go, my son is asking for help with his Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie!

NP...your Bangers and mash sound just yummy...I will have to try to do this sometime..
Wohibuli..I like grits...and I have had marmite...not crazy about it..I am astounded as well that Sarah has not eaten peanut butter...now that is strange to me...I even eat on my pancakes which are most often Buttermilk style..with maple syrup but not pure maple more like Mrs. Butterworths...LOL..My mom always made her rhubarb pies with strawberries..
Sarah your lychee Thai food sounds good but I would have to go for the lower end on the hotness...not a lvoer of hot spicey foods..too painful for me...!
The soup I made turned out yummy..going to go have some now...may have to have my toast and pb and honey again for dessert..lol...never did get to the store...no fun...

I made toad in the hole last night for dinner. Ymmmm......

Sid ~ peanut butter is good for you....lots of protein. Peanut butter and honey....peanut butter, jam and cheese.....peanut butter and chocolate......mmmmmmm.

Cat ~ I think Marmite is an acquired taste. You only use a tiny bit and spread it really really thinly on some nice buttered toast. I love it.

Maple syrup is really good....but it is even expensive here for the 100% pure stuff. Even in the restaurants you very rarely get the pure stuff in a jug.
I've never had grits either. Sounds interesting. I still like my cream of wheat with cream and brown sugar.

Cat ~ Lyles Golden Syrup is GREAT!!! We always used to call it treacle. Sid it is in a glass jar with a green Lyles label and the dead lion on it. I've hidden it away so the kids don't can't find it....aren't I awful?? LOL.

I love a good English fry up. Do you make fried bread too??

is thatlike being in a chinese resteraunt and the water telling you the chicken is wubbery lol.Jambalaya codfish pie fillygumbo bye the carpenters i do believe lol.ofcourse gilli the full shooting match.i dont actualy like fried bread or black pudding yak but love the rest lol eggs have to be just so.its my real clame to fame perfect mash and perfet fried eggs lol

Reading all this I'm absolutely starving.....where's my two wheetabix :o( !
Sarah.....I love using coconut milk with curry especially chicken and also try adding it to rice when your cooking it....or even dessicated coconut softened in hot water for half an hour, it makes such a difference.

Gilli....that's our Northen dialect...I still call it treacle! lol
If anyone likes Plum Bread (fruit loaf) I have a great recipe with black treacle
it's scrummy!

Cat....I think Wohlibuli is from the song....Woolley Bulley ........is that right Wohlibuli? I love the sound of your oatmeal and apples...will have to try that one :o)

i hate curry im afraid lol ill stick with the bangers and mash lol

Oh NP, a well made curry can be devine. Unfortunately you rarely get a good one in a restaurant, they need to simmer a long time. Chicken curry with the coconut is a popular one but I prefer the Vindaloo, beef or lamb with tomatoes and peppers, very spicy!
It is VERY difficult to find Indian food in this area so when a new restaurant opens we try it, have yet to find a really good one, so we still go back to the one we have gone to for years, even it it is 1 1/2 hours drive away!

Janey you are correct! By Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs if I remember correctly! 1967 maybe?

I didn't know Lyle's came in jars, all I've ever seen is in a tin, a jar seems more convenient.

Gilli..I am so glad to know that someone else can extole the virtues of peanut butter!..don't get me started on peanut butter and chocolate!..oh dear....one of my favorite lattes to make was a white chocolate and peanut butter..tasted a lot like a Butter Finger..or ..Chick-o-Stick..candy bars..was yummy..could also do really good Milky Way lattes..Caramel sauce, peanut butter syrup and chocolate sauce..oh yumm..good thing I am not doing that anymore!!!...Do still have the sauces and syrups though..hmmm...let me waddle out to the garage..I believe I have them stored out there....hmmm.

i dont like the spices or the heat but we cant be all the same i guess.i think a lot of chinese or indians just through curry powder in what theyve got and call it curry.not much true cuisine excuse my spelling and the same with other dishes

Oooo-Kay, just STOP right here! GO BACK!. I missed the whole thing. I have some say-sos to say on all these subjects. Shall we start over?
There was the one where I came home from figure painting class with red paint on my underwear.
Yum, slurp, you're right NP. By the way, NP, it's probably against the law in the States to put chip oil in your truck, cause the govenment can't tax it...and they like to tax everything!

Peanut butter cookies melt in your mouth.

And do you love burnt cream? 'Nuff said.

Don't even think of doing this again without me!

its not against the law as its already taxed.its a little loop hole the uk has coverd bye making chip fat nearly the egsact same price as diesel.people just dont believe it because it seams to good to be true.you can use used chip oil not fat if you filter it realy realy well its not quite so efitiant excuse my spelling as diesel.about 2 years ago it worked out half price.my mate ran his old diesel merc for 200,000 miles on it till it got expensive.you need to put some turpentine substitute in with it to make it more runny to go through the jets.ow and watch out for people asking for fish and chips when you stop lol.as it goes theres a story behind chip fat.when i went up north to pick my ex up when she wasnt lol i rented a 8 ton lorry.being as it was a 600 mile round trip and lorries do about 15 to the gallon thats a lot of money.me being carefull or tight decided that we would have to refill the lorry half way.i couldnt drive it so my mate did it with me.the same one as used chip fat in his van.i went into tescos and baught rape seed oil and i mean cleared the shelf quite litteraly lol.as i was paying for at least 30 maybe 5ltr bottles ,i didnt count them but the trolley was heaving the woman couldnt help but ask what i wanted it for.i was sharp as a knife and said what im doing is having a slip orgy.i told her we find a hill,big lump of polythene , oil and naked people slipping into each other lol.i left her with that thaught you should of sean her face lol.the other thing when we evenyualy ran out of chip fat and had to put diesel in my friiend grabbed the pump and as he did so i looked in the fuel tank.i said garry look in here theres a chip in there.i swear as i sit here he bent down and put his eye to the tank looking for said chip .i laughed my socks of lol.i hope you enjjoy my true story take care bye for now.i guess you had to be there to realy apreciate it lol.

NP, I read this out loud to Mr. Weeds. We both got a giggle out of it. Still trying to figure out whether the chip oil would be cheaper than the diesel here. Ran up against a language barrier. LOL and a math barrier...I can't figure out how to compare your currency to ours and your measure to ours. We measure in gallons, you in litres, we use dollars, not sure what you use. Euros? Pounds? Anyhow, it's darned confusing and I'm flumoxed.
:-) I's a great story though, we enjoyed it.

Sid, got so upset :-) about missing this whole saga that I forgot to tell you how much I like your picture.

Sorry Weeds should have given you a call when this first started..just got so carried away about the Sticky Toffee Pudding..that I lost my mind..did you get the part aobut STpudding by Hagen Das? ..send Mr. Weeds out right now..I would go but I am in my robe and slippers already and am going to have to settle for a baked apple something with a saucy something on it...some how chip oil in an engine just makes me lose my appetite...cannot imagine looking for it...glad for you tho..NP...but it does not make me dribble..I need dribble talk on here....saucy, dribble talk...tell me something chocolate flavored NP...do you run anything on chocolate?..does it smell like fudge coming down the street? Yeah now that would be something I would be looking in the tank for...LOL..

Sid, Cat, Gilli, NP, TT Janey, Wohli and the rest of you. All of you just sit down, calm down and tell me how you got from a perfectly lovely pastel of butterflies to peanut butter? Cat put the spoon down. Cat...NOW! Put the spoon down. Try to focus, people! This is the first worldwide sugar-high I have ever seen, and it's astral! ...I'm proud of you! If we could duplicate it the power of it all could be a step toward world peace.

Sorry Weedy.....can't stop.....we're on a roll.....or should that be we are all rolling around now.....Peanut butter and chocolate.....Dairy Queen peanut butter cup blizzards....Ymmmmm.

NP ~ Fried bread is divine!! Fried in the bacon fat......Oh, to die for....I make a little bit about once a year and that is all I will allow myself....soooo bad for you.......Canadians think I'm crazy. They just can't get their head around fried bread!! Hee hee hee.

Wohlibuli ~ Jars of treacle are much more convenient.....no prying the lid off...quicker to get at the treacle inside....LOL.

I love a good curry. There are quite a few good Indian restaurants around here. However, nobody in my family likes curry except me!! :o(

OOOhhhh.....yes Gilli....FRIED BREAD!!! and fried Tomatoes with Daddies Sauce......YUM! have you tried Egg Dippers......fingers of bread dipped in egg and FRIED.......T..A..S..T..E..Y!!

Cat...Baked apples.....my Mum used to make them filled with brown sugar and butter...or Golden Syrup...am nearly exploding thinking about it! lol

im starting to feal sorry for your horse cat reading yor massages lol ive bean stuck in my living room for the last 3 days reading this blog lol im only joking i know how sensertive you ladies can be.i dont like chocolate flaver things though i love chocolate.im the other way round with tomatoes .i like them in cooking but i couldnt just eat one.i hate salad .i know my ears are big but there not that long lol . well if you got 3 days to read this blog weeds you just mite figure it out lol.to me bread is like a sponge so it becomes like toast with said chip fat pored over it yak lol.not a sausage roll i hope gilli lol

Now NP???why are you feeling sorry for my horse? He is getting fed..not custard or pies or baked apples ..he does like an apple now and then though...lol..now how can you love chocolate but not like chocolate flavored things...must be a riddle in there...ok..it was a good story NP..just kidding you ..ya know.
Gilli..is your fried bread like our french toast dipped in egg and then fried on both sides..eaten with butter and syrup and in my case peanut butter as well or sour cream and sugar?
Weeds..we are all in need of comfort food and we are being comforted..this is really a comfort group....ummmI feel so much better reading this thread..
Thank you Sid..very good job
I did a version of baked apple that I can have..not as good as baked in the oven...silly to start up electric oven for one apple..just did it in microwave with splenda and cinnamon and then made a topping of sourcream splenda and cinnamon..was not as nice a texture as oven baked but I did enjoy it ..am thinking of making up a bit of the custard sauce Gilli gave me the recipe for with splenda as it is low enough in carbs to enjoy it while I work at keeping my weight down..lol..weird thread to read while trying to lose weight..LOL..keep it coming..I am not full yet..lol
I think it all started with Lori asking if GardenGnome knew she was a hermaphrodite...shrug..go figure..Lori does not want to come back and talk to us anymore...mmm..makes us all want to eat..sad you know...LOL..good excuse I think...eat, drink and be merry!

Make comfort food not war! Like I said...world peace.

What about the hot air and gas ?
Still waiting patiently for a satisfactory custard-associated answer. Lol.

Dunno..TT..wouldn't the custard tend to coat the hot air and gas and keep it down a bit...big bubbles maybe instead...lol..we could all go floating off in big bubbles attacked to our...oh ..no..maybe we should not go there...not a pretty picture and I really do plan on making a pot of custard..maybe even today! More likely tomorrow...need things to put it on..suggestions..please..what all can you put this custard on?

Cripes - I look away for 2 minutes and suddenly there's 20-odd comments on here!

Can I ask a stupid question please - does peanut butter taste like peanuts? To me, peanuts are something you feed to birds (and possibly elephants), and are not for mushing down into a butter and eating on, what, pancakes? Ewwww! LOL I haven't eaten Marmite since I was a little kid....can't remember being to impressed with it!

Now, condensed milk, well now your talking! Oh, oh, oh yummmmmmmy - I can just eat a tin of it with a spoon...... Because milk goes off quickly in hot Thailand, they use condensed milk a lot instead. Which lead me to acquiring a taste for the way they make coffee over there - a layer of condensed milk with strong coffee - like Brazilian coffee - on top and you stir it up and drink it and it's LOVELY!!!!

Cat - the good thing about my Thai/lychees recipe is that you can adjust the amount of curry paste to suit. I'm not keen on very hot food either.

Gilli - I love maple syrup - I didn't realise it came in pure and non-pure forms. When I eat it I love to think of how it is produced. Don't laugh, but I watched Sesame Street (LOL) and they were showing how it was made and they showed some little kids collecting the syrup from the trees - they poured it straight onto the snow and the syrup went hard and they ate it like lollies! That's always stuck in my memory :-)

Lyles Golden Syrup does not come in jars over here - it comes in a lovely shiny gold and dark green tin - it's quite iconic really. I'm looking at one right now - I've got pens/pencils stuck in it!

Janey - I really will have to get a cookbook for Thai food - it is SO delish!

Weeds - glad you like my picture! But I think people will be wondering what on earth butterflys have got to do with custard and hermaphrodies....? ;-)

Cat - you can't run a car on chocolate. That would be a terrible, terrible waste. Do you get fish and chips over there I'm wondering? I don't think you guys go in for Fish and Chip Shops..?? It's another tradition over here - especially for Fridays when the cupbourds are getting a bit bare - battered cod or haddock and thick chips wrapped up in paper (used to be newspaper until the fun-police put a stop to it) now it's just big sheets of white paper. Chipshops are probably the best smelling places on earth next to bakeries ;-) For suggestions for things to put custard on - just read back through these comments! Just about anything then ;-)

Now, I wonder, has anyone here ever had banana dipped in a chocolate fondue? dribbble, slurp, droooollllll..................slurp..........

Sarah....we do have Fish & Chips here..of course we do....my favorite is one right in our marina..that uses fresh fish and makes the best..they come in little carboard bowls with red checkerd paper usually wrapped over them because I usually have gotten them "to go"..they come with coleslaw and tarter, ketcup and malt vinegar packets too..Cannot remember when we did not have F&C..lol...Do you like Clam chowder..English style or Manhatten???lol???...I like English...I would rather feed the whole peanut to birds but the mashed and creamed is for me!..naw..I have actually taken peanut butter, bacon fat and crushed grains, nuts etc..and smeared it on to pine cones and hung them in the trees for the birds..cleaned them out quick...!
Oh yes fondue is still popular off and on again..love the cheese fondues too...big hunks of crusty bread...nummers...I could kill myself on the chocolate one..with banana's and anything else I can find to dip in it..pretzles..salty stuff you know..love chocolate and salty things together...best if there is a very large crowd eating with me....so I don't eat it all... \ : o

Oh I'm so glad you can get fish n chips! After I posted my comment I started thinking about the whole chips/french fries/crisps thing - which are three very different things! lol I think your fish n chip shop sounds posher than ours lol Here, they don't come with coleslaw or tartare (although I think it would be a good idea!). They ask if you want salt and vinegar and if you say yes (which I don't) they splash enourmous amounts on! They usually have ketchup if you ask for it.... I put on my own salt and vinegar at home. Fish n chip shops here are almost always take-away only and every town has one! We've got a really good one just round the corner - the fish is always at least a foot long ;-) and the chips are really good chunky ones! The best of course is always by the sea.....sitting on a sea wall, watching the the sun setting, cuddled up with a loved-one and sharing a big bag of fish n chips with the little wooden forks they supply - one of life's treasures :-)

Re clam chowder.....hmmm....now I've heard of that on TV but I must admit I haven't a clue what it is??!! Is it a kind of clam soup I'm wondering? It seems strange there is an English style one??!!?? I suppose an English tourist once said he prefered it one way to another and from then on it was the English style ha ha ha.... Anyway, do spill the beans, what IS clam chowder? Janey, NP & TT - do you know? Or is it just me?!

Oh, chocolate fondue - I am very Fond of You!

Oh my ..your fish & chips sound far and a way better than ours...foot long fish!..ours are little 3 inch chunks..and our fries are not chunky just strips that I am sure are frozen when thrown into the fryer...
most places here have an inside seating area of some sort..
Clam Chowder English style is made with chopped, squared almost potatoes, onions, salt pepper all boiled together until potatoes are tender, then throw in canned or fresh clams..and cream or white sauce..it is like potatoe soup but with clams added to it really...I like the white sauce for thickening and extra cream....Manhatten chowder is made with a tomatoe sauce base and I don't care for it. I love a soup I make with cauliflower, (rather than potatoes),onions, cream cheese, cream and kielbasa sausage....suppose I could subsitute clams with it..makes a very hearty creamy soup...
Wooden forks...? we only get plastic..wood would be extra fun!
When I get my F&C here..I get a strawberry shake too..now that is fun to dip my chips in..lol..

3 inch fish? Hmmm - more fish nugguts really? No these are whole fillets, dipped in batter, then thrown into the fryer. Yummi x-) Strangly, )and don't ask me why, because, frankly, why not?) the F&C shops never sell anything like milkshakes. They sell cans of pop - but nothing milky. Not sure about the whole dipping chips in the milkshake idea......think that's a fondue you can keep! I do like strawberry milkshake tho.... and lime.......and banana :-)

The clam chowder sounds fine - I've never eaten clams tho, so not too sure i'd like it ;-) I want to learn to make and store a few soups so I can use up my summer veg in it......... another book I have to buy!

You should all feel sorry for me, living 600 miles from the coast I have to go a long way to get good Fish n chips. We always called the cream based chowder New England style and it is much better than Manhattan style. But I can't get that around here either!

Sid- The peanuts that are made into peanut butter are toasted or roasted first to give them a deeper more mellow taste. Many people that live in the tropics drink cond. milk in coffee and I agree YUM! You can mix Cond. milk with lime juice and pour into a crust made of graham crackers (McVitties Digestives). Voila, you have the state dessert of Florida, Key Lime Pie. Delish!

I make a big pot of soup...and freeze it..in ziplock bags...be careful to put bag on flat surface to freeze tho..mine got stuck in the freezer rack with the wire on it..barely got it out in time..lol...works great to thaw and eat in microwave...I like salty crisps/potatoe chips with ice cream too...lol..I have taste buds that will never will grow up..lol..

nothing better than a fresh bit of cromer cod slurp.nobody does it better.wow i sound like james bond lol

James Bond slurps? LOL...

lol

I asked GF what Cromer Cod was and he told me...sounds good...is this close to where you are NP?..so you get it that fresh? would be yummy..!
Do you ever cook it yourself? When you all cook fish at home..do you bake it, broil, deep fry, poach it...how do you do it home style? I like to broil with a sauce I came up with for fresh salmon..when I lived on a boat and they were slapped on our decks loudly early in the morning by local fishermen...lol...sound I loved to hear! It is onion, lemon, garlic, and honey..all chopped and put in a glass bowl..then heated in the microwave to cook it together a bit..pour over salmon and broil, until salmon is just flaky...people went crazy over it and ate it like animals with their fingers and juices dripping off their chins..!!! Talk about slurp...!

yes it is a nice tail end of the fish is the best yummy.i either have a place fillet and heres another tip ,you need to flower the fish so what ya do is poar a bit of plain flower in a bag.then you just put the damp fillets in and dont get flower everywear.you can seasen the flower to.this would work with many things or its got to have batter on.im not keen on bread crumbs.i thaught that was how you supposed to eat lol

I do fried fish this way NP..in a baggie as you said as well...I also do chicken same way if I making fried chicken..I like to dip pork chops in flour then egg and then flour again..lol...makes and even yummier crust..and really good gravy...oh dear..here I go again..off into another food blitze..

mmmmmMMMMMmmmmm ive got some pork chops i just mite give that a go wobble lol

I must say you guys are very inspiring. Makes me want to make all kinds of things I haven't made in a while. Tonight I think I'll try Caribbean Chicken Curry and tomorrow Chile Verde, and hopefully lots of leftovers! Bon Appetit!!

Wohli - blimey, you live 600 miles from the coast? I'm about as land-locked as you can get in the UK, but it's still only about an hour or twos drive to the seaside from here - about 60 or 70 miles I think :-)

Hmmmmm - key lime pie sounds delish! Now where's my notepad........ Re the condensed milk, Thailand is the only tropical place I've visited. I'm hoping to get to India some time...bet they'll have it there too ;-)

Cat - that's exactly what I want to do - make soups and things that I can freeze......when I get my proper big garden hmmmm....sigh...

My fav fish is salmon - I just put a knob of butter on top (and maybe a lemon slice), wrap it all up in silver foil and bung it in the oven - easy peasey even for a cooking-disaster like me! I must say, I'm rather taken with Cat's suggestion for salmon......another one for the notepad I think! But what does 'broil' mean please? Sounds like a cross between bake and boil?

I know what you mean, Sid, I leave to go to a movie and all heck breaks loose on this site! Actually I'm not wondering what butterflies have to do with custard and hermaphrodies. I'm wondering what custard and hermaphrodies have to do with butterflies! This all started with your pretty butterflies.

Being an inlander I don't know anything about fresh fish. I thought I hated clam chowder, but recently have developed a taste for it and love it. My kids like clam chip dip that I make for dipping potato chips and crackers. It has cream cheese and mayo and worchestershire sauce and clams...sounds weird, I know, but if I didn't make up a bowl of it during the holidays I would be massacred. That and dill chip dip and homemade Baileys.

ow i cant eat snails yak lol

Hey Sid, it is a days drive to get to the closest ocean, but think about those poor folks in the center of the US (like Nebraska and Iowa) some of them never do see the ocean....ever!
The Hubby and I like to go to an old city on the Georgia coast called Savannah and while there we have to have lots of fresh fish! Yummy!!

I just ate my Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream for dinner again....mmmm..I am so bad...but my tongue is so happy..it is a test to see if my dairy allergy is back in full force or if I just had a cold..you see.......I will know soon..! Ah...but I will not regret it no matter what!!!...Weeds...this is what started it all...my ice cream find...by Hagen Das...it is so good..I ate the whole carton...tummy kinda hurts...but I don't care...!!!!

NP...how does a clam relate to a snail????

and yes Wohlibuli...I waited on some people from the middle of the country who thought we had had a drought when they saw the low tide marks on the pilings...lol...ohh well...I was born at the shore..not on the beach but you know what I mean...salt air was my first breath..never not known it..lol..I was surpised when I realized lakes didn't have tides..lol...how dull staying the same all the time... of course I have never been to the Great Lakes in the East...

Cat ~ I thought you weren't going to eat anymore of that!! I still haven't found it here yet.

I just want to add that, although we do have fish and chips over here, they are not even close to being as good as real English fish and chips. I think it is in the batter and also something to do with the fat that they use to fry it over here. Its just not the same. There are also very very few fish and chip shops where it is just take out.

Sid ~ if you want to kind of compare the size of England to over here consider that Great Britain will fit about 3 times into the province of British Columbia alone. BC is about 1/6th the width of Canada. Give or take a few hundred miles, it is about 3,000 miles from coast to coast. So if you live in the middle of Canada, you would be about 1,500 miles away from the coast.
Broiling is the same as putting something under the grill with the heat above.
I remember Lyles coming in those lovely tins. They were good for all sorts of things when they were empty. My Dad had rows of them in the shed with all different nails and screws in them.

ofcourse it is cat lol clams are mollascs exuse my spelling so are snails .

LOL I think what NP is trying to say is that they are both slimey things in shells!

Weeds - yes, you're right, your dip does sounds weird! lol Worcestershire is the next county over from here so I know all about Worcestershire sauce ;-) esp splattered on cheese on toast...slurp :-P It's pronounced like wus-ter-sher in case you were wondering ;-) Hmmmm...Baileys....is that as in the drink? I like Baileys.....How do you make it?

Oh Cat - you are SO BAD!!! ha ha ha.... I wish I could find some of that icecream...... So, do you have another head-freeze now? Remember my cure! Lashings of hot custard!

I did visit one of the Great Lakes....it was the biggest one....Ontario is it? No tide of course, but I was surprised to see waves on a lake - it was a calm June day I remember but still little waves gently lapping at the shore and you looked out and it was just water as far as the eye could see - just like the sea. Also visited the 1000 Islands National Park...that was funny...went on a boat trip and saw all these little islands, each with a house on it....bigger islands had bigger houses and a nice boat....tiny islands just had a shack and a rowing boat LOL Some were literally just little rocks sticking out of the water, but people had even laid claim to those, putting a little shack on them :-)

Gilli - I think chips over there tend to be little skinning ones don't they? I like them THICK! :-D

Hmmmm - yes - the UK is a bit 'laterally and longitudally challenged' (try saying that after a couple of Baileys) compared with your neck of the woods ;-) We are of course an island nation, but it is easy to forget that....what did the police-man chappy in Jaws say? 'It's only an island if you look at it from the sea'?! Strange to think that the population of the UK is probably greater than that of the whole of Canada...hence why housing and land prices here are just stupid...

Just been over to Wiki to check my facts -

Population of Canada - 33,571,000 (2009 concensus) that's 8.3 per square mile

Population of UK - 60,975,000 (2007 concensus) that's 637 per square mile

well, I knew the UK was highly populated, but those figures surprise even me....

bloody hell excuse my french thats criminal.sounds terrible.i was kinda trying to say that but they are of the same family so is an octopus.there all moluscs excuse my spelling.i love white fish.i remember when i was a teen ager about 68,000 years ago.my dad took me sea fishing.we caught a load of whiting (small cousins of cod,coley,pollack etc .we gutted ithem on the way into the harbour.sea gulls diving down in the sunset ill never forget that.we cooked them as soon as we got home they were lovley.used to be able to buy whiting but the resteraunts snap them all up now. yum yum

OK...so I did it again Gilli..my store within walking distance has it..it is a crime....and yes my allergies acted up..had to take an allergy pill..but not as bad as the last time...so me not over doing it and then doing this was not terrible but something I will not do every week..lol...maybe once a month...lol..
Clams are bivalves that live in the sea and pump water like a siphon not all that slimy and when boiled and dipped in garlic butter..actually quite delish...oysters on the other hand can be a bit slimy but again are a bivalve and pump water as do clams..but I do like them if they are fried fairly well done..not into eating them off the beach like many here do tho...now a snail on the other hand...seem to crawl along the cement leaving a slimy trail..it is a gooey thing and am not sure how it breaths or funtions...would not consider eating it..son did try a slug once as a baby crawling on the porch...scared me half to death..thought he was going to choke to death on the thing when it slimed after he bit into it...now I know you are all gagging...I was to at the time...awful...
I like the sounds of the chip shops in the UK compared to what we have here...and will be sure to have some when I am there....
Love your fishing story NP..I worked on dive boats and the evenings going in and watching the fish boats with seagulls flapping along over them were always a delight to see...
Now as to populations...the US..has over 301million people in it..Washington state 6 million..we are about the size of the UK maybe a little larger..or smaller ..but our population density is sparse compared to yours...I'd say...and I live on a Peninsula surrounded by salty ocean water that most consider to be an Island because it is such a long way round back to the mainland from where we live if we do not take a bridge or a ferry...We also have the largest octopus in the world here in our inside waters...
Why we don't have outstanding Fish & Chip shops is beyond me..!

you can get islands in rivers so you are on a island just a close one lol.you dont have very nice tea or choclate either or so my brother sais.he lives in wisconsen excuse my spelling lol .some people say your beer isnt so good but when i used to buy cans i always got millers .horses for courses i guess.do you get cod wear you are.that mite be the problem or your terrible cooks lol only joking i doubt that.octopus are realy inteligent i think there amazing.if they can squeeze there eyes through a hole then they can get through one eye at a time.i watched a program about them.they built all these mad tanks with tubes and tunnells out of glass.amazing they can learn to undo a screw on lid on a jar for food.not only can they change colour they can actualy change the texture of there skin.wear you live sounds stunning cat.

Wisconsin only has cheese..lol...they are called cheeseheads you know!..lol...We have some very good chocolate here..but I have to say the best I have sold while in my shop was by a man by named Gunther who still has an Austrian accent and was trained as a chocolatier in Austria..it was to die for and I was lucky to be able to get it from him, he retired from doing it in the last few years so I could not get it so started selling Moonstruck chocolates out of Oregon..they were very good too..now I know I have heard that the chocolates I will get to try in the UK are wonderful so I am looking forward to that as well...
Here where I live we have brewing pubs...and most think those are the best beers...I am a light weight, so go for light Corona's in a frosty cold glass with a little salt around the top and a slice of lime..not one for the dark yeasty beers at all..
Oh yea..the octopus are super intelligent...one diver I worked with had to fight one over his urchin bag...he was picking urchins and an octopus was upset by it as Dan had been taking urchins from near his cove and he came out and started taking the urchins out of the big net bag and tossing them back into the cove...Dan put them back and the Octopus did it again..they went back and forth like this a few times and finally Dan had to give it up, toss what he could in and find another spot..lol..he tried scaring it off but to no avail...lol...all of the divers had good octopus stories..they all had to wrestle one at least once..lol...just for the tale.

no i dont like that kind of beer infact ive gone of alcohol as a hole.octopus dont live very long did you know that.litteraly a few years.i cant say ive herd of a corona befor.do tell please.this is a good town apart from the night life its terrible.out council doesnt like change unless it makes them look good.what can ya di i dont know lol

Well Sid a very diverse and interesting blog confirms what I always suspected ... you re a trifle crackers and should be taken into custardy lol

Oh hullo Mr B - Trifle, crackers and custardy? Hmmm, we've had custardy in this discussion, but that's the first we've heard of trifle and crackers I think. Would you have them together tho? Trifle and custardy sound ok, but think I'll pass on the crackers if you don't mind. Unless of course they have a thick slice of a nice mature crumbly chedder and a good dollop of a farmhouse chutney pilled on them. mmmmmm........

NP - what are you speaking french about? What's terrible? The population thing or the moluscs? Confuzed.

Did you know that flat fish - dover sole/flounder etc - when they first hatch they look just like normal fish and swim the right way up. Then one of their eyes migrates over the top of the head and ends up on the other side, which is when the 'normal' fish becomes a flat fish.....wierd! Just imagine one of your eyes doing that......you'd be wondering where it was going and where it would end up wouldn't you.....

Yes, I think Cat does live in a lovely place - I love to see her photos of the ocean and the mountains and the wonderful wildlife.....just seems so idyllic :-)

Cat - when you visit the UK you must do some recognisance* work on fish n chip shops, so when you get back you can open up one on the seafront :-) ha ha ha...

(*had to look that up in the dictionary!)

Re beer - never could stand the stuff! But I think I've heard of Corona lemonade haven't I...?

O dear you shouldn't get me started on beer, I always thought I didn't like it until I met my husband. He explained all about the different styles of brewing and come to find out that almost all American beers are lagers or pilsners, very much like German beers and most UK beers are ales or porters. Everyone has different tastes and I do not like lagers or pilsners but I do like ales and porters and stouts. They were impossible to find except as imports until the last 10 years and slowly but surely the laws are being changed so that small craft breweries can produce and distribute in the US. There are only a few in Georgia because they are behind on changing the laws, (it's a religious thing) but we are finally getting some decent American made ales.
Now about Corona and the salt and lime thing, Corona is a Mexican made lager that is traditionally drunk with salt and a slice of lime. Not my style!

youve confused me now sid lol .you learn something every day Wohlibuli sounds horrible

Well I have never heard of Corona lemonade..lol..and our Halibut do that with the eye business..and Halibut is my favorite fish here to eat..after Salmon...
I really doubt I would ever open another retail food or otherwise outlet if I can keep from it anywhere...it is very difficult running your own business..
No -none- zilcho plans for that at any time in the future as far as I can see....and so many have told me I should go back into retail at some level since I have all this exeperience...no thanks...nope..nada..
i will have some of those crackers and chees ya got there though..love-lov-love- crackers and cheese..most any kind of cheese will do..not sposed to have it so of course I love-love-love- it...dang...phooey...stomp..
Just eat the crackers then...little dry this way...mumff their notff bad..little coke to washmff it downmff there...ulp... see? :-)

I thought Wohibuli sounded lovely ;-) stir, stir, stir..........hehehe...

Ooops - we posted at the same time Cat :-)

You don't have to tell me that about running your own business - I'm finding out it's not for the faint hearted......and I'm faint-hearted! ha ha oh dear...... still, it beats working for someone else!

Yes, love crackers n cheese.......now, can you get a ploughmans over there I wonder?

I'm confused to NP..cuz I don't know what you are confused about or what Sid or anybody is talking about anymore so I am going to plug my ears and just dnace around in circles singing......lalalalalalalalala..

ive forgotten what i was confused about lol.the turbut is one of the biggest bony fish on the plannet though due to hunting the average weight is dropping. there eyes migrate.my eyes have migrated th the back of my head lol cat

Wow Wohlibuhli ( why not woolybully as in the song so much easier to type ! ) now you re talking know nothing about cooking but real beer .. those fizzy lagers and pilsners no thanks .

A visit to Eileen in Dublin - home of Guinness and a trip to Yorkshire for a pint of Old Peculier or Black sheep would suit x

OMG after my own heart.... Old Peculiar is to die for!! and Newcastle Brown is pretty good too as is Fullers ESB. But MacKesson XXX milk stout is absolutely the world's best! Oh man, I want a beer!

The handle Wohlibuli was a recycle from a knitting site and wooly bully was all ready taken! Soooo combine part of my maiden name Wohli and buli to get the same sound!

Sid- I know that was some kind of joke but I don't get it. I guess you will have to explain it to me. : )

No Np...you have eyes on both sides of your head..that's different...LOL..
But these people with their Beer and Knitting....hic...now that is really weird...hic...

Okay.....I'm really confused......what's all this about eyes on the back of the beer?? Fish fighting octopus while knitting?? Faint hearted cracker eaters running businesses selling Corona and lime? I'm totally lost.....

wear all just a bit nutty i believe lol i cant believe you all drink more manly beer than me lol.i like millers the best.i have to put lime in other lager.i must be more of a girly than i thaught

NP - you weren't confused. I was. I still am. Old Pecular Turbuts and Fainting Knitted Octopus.....???????????

Cat...CAT!! Now stop dancing around and listen...I said LISTEN! There. That's better. Now, from your response I'm guessing you don't know what I mean by a Ploughmans (thank you for not asking 'a ploughman's what?' BTW). A ploughmans is basically a salad (wouldn't be for NP lol) - but a good ploughmans consists of a good salad with fruit (like apple) and a big chuck of a good mature farmhouse cheddar, a good serving of chutney or pickle and a big hunk of crusty bread to tear into. It's good wholesome stuff for a summers day :-)

Wohlibuhli - No problem. Usually people can't even tell I'm telling a joke... NP said "youve confused me now sid lol .you learn something every day Wohlibuli sounds horrible". So I said Wohlibuhli sounds lovely. See? Hmmmm...it's the way I tell 'em...... Did they have discussions like this on the knitting website I wonder?

ow i still am lol

OOOOOO! OK now I get it. Just a gray moment I guess!

Knitting website usually only deals with purling and which was better plastic, metal or bamboo. They had very little excitement in their lives : )

A ploughmans lunch was always a fav. When we were in London we were always taking one to have in the park along with a bottle of wine. I like to have Branston Pickle with Stilton.... I need to quit this now... I'm starting to drool. : )

It is not girly to put lime in your lager...some of the manliest men I know showed me how to do it...plus a lick on the back of your hand salt it squeeze of lime and shot of tequila tossed back leaves nothing to be desired....yeeehaww!...I don't know but I thnk for sure I would like a Branston pickle.....tell me about that spicy puppy...

I guess if I can't keep up I need to take notes. Let's see...
Custard - yup
Ice cream -yup
Gooey sweet -yup
Clams - yup
Oysters, no way! Especially not raw. No, nope, no thank you, huh-uh, not me, just back off!
Salmon - nope
Halibut - yup
Knitting, yup. but I only know how to knit in a straight line. Probably why my sweaters don't fit.
Octopi, to eat..naw. In the wild, they're cool.
Corona, yup, Alaskan Amber, yup, Millers, yup, but not in large quantities, have to maintain my dignity and my equilibrium. No comment necessary here, Cat. Heh, heh, heh...I know what you're thinking.

Baileys has cream, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and coconut flavoring, eggs and whiskey to taste...and whiskey to taste... and whiskey. Not fattening at all.

Yummmm. Home made Bailey's. :o)

Cat's right Leigh....some of the manliest men drink Corona and lime. My brother was in the Army and then in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and he always has lime in his larger. And, he's pretty manley.

Cj ~ Salt, a wedge of lime and tequilla straight up.....woo hoo!!! I'll drink to that. :oD

i think ill stick to orange juice and leomonade lol

Years ago a friend introduced us to homemade Bailey's. It is yummy in coffee, but you have to be careful with it. Drink enough and you may be wide awake but you can't walk across the room. Powerful stuff!
I guess I must just be a little different, cause I like dark beers and dry red wines and ports.... o yeh and gin and tonic!
Weeds... I am slooowly learning to make socks and sweaters, and it is not easy. I can testify to that!

Gin & Tonic and a lime..gotta have the lime goes well with the bergamont flavor..there..now see..this is still a gardening thread...
Of course Baileys is great in just about anything..lol..and no..oh no..Weeds it is not at all fattening..not a bit..I love kuhula though..I have still some non alcoholic syrups that were favorites in coffees..at my shop..that and Rum..and Amarretto...kuhula too
no vodka in that lemonade or orange juice? NP? lol

Cat, if you drink everything with lime at least you won't get scurvy, and even if you do get scurvy you won't care...hiccup!

Wohli, Think I'll start having my Baileys over some of Cat's ice cream. Think of it - a Baileys milkshake! Probably the highest calorie count in any dessert drink known to man.
I can crochet a snowflake...just what I need...more snowflakes. LOL

Cj ~ Bergamot flavour??? I though Gin was made of juniper berries.

no cat i dont drink much as i had problems with booze.i was wondering what that bailies would be like without the whisky ? gin yak me and my mate years ago had a race and i drank half a bottle in one go.i hasten to add i paid for it the next day lol..i cant stand red wine .actualy i would of drunk to get at least half cut not for the flaver.theres much tastier soft drinks.ill stick with a smoke lol .no tobacco though.i havnt smoked tobacco for nearly 4 years/im 48 today bye the way and before you all say it i know i only look 28 lol.take care bye for now

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOSEY!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

Happy Birthday Np......agree you look 28...from benind ! Lol that tatoo is never going to age ! Lol

Now you see, I've looked away for a few minutes and there are 11 new comments on here. How's a girl meant to keep up?

Wohli - LOL - it must be one hellova roller-coaster of a life on a knitting website ;-)

Cat - Branston Pickle is the food of the gods. I bow down to its greatness.

Weeds - I'm surprised Baileys has eggs in it....do you heat it to make it? And can you get away with just using a cheapy whiskey or does it need to be a reasonably drinkable sort?!

I had a bit of Baileys left in a bottle after xmas and thought it might go off and I also had some chocolate icecream in the freezer SOOOOOO what I did was pour the Baileys over the icecream and put it back in the freezer....it was yummy .... x-)

Gilli - yes I thought gin was made with juniper berries or sloans (spelling?) ...not really sure what Bergamont is......?

All this talk of booze, you boozey lot, I feel left out coz I'm not a big drinker at all.......don't like wine, don't like beer.......like Baileys....like a bitter lemon martini.......like a gin and orange except when it stops my legs from working....... :-(

Doing anything for your birthday NP?

Sid, I use Egg Beaters cause they are pasteurized or some other way sterilized to prevent salmonella. No it's not heated. I suspect the whiskey sterilizes it too. Old cowboy films always have the hero pour whiskey on a gunshot wound to sterilize it before he digs out the bullet with his trusty or rusty Bowie knife. Oh...but that would be here, I guess. LOL Cheap whiskey works fine.

NP happy birthday. I think you look 27 and a half. :-)

I know sloe gin is flavored with juniper berries. Used to drink sloe gin fizzes when I was young and dumb... that's been more than a FEW days back! Now I'd rather have ice cream. ;-)

cemented sid lol
and thanx everybody

Yes Sid think Gin should be made from Sloans - they were those yuppie posh types like merchant bankers ie Sloan Rangers wouldnt we like to liquidise a few of them ! lol

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOSEY !!!!! And Many Happy Returns... :o) 48 years old you say.??? You don't look a day over 47...Hee hee hee....No, no, no ....seriously....You are looking great for someone so ancient and aged.......I can say that because I'm 49!! LOL

thank you gilli x

Have a happy one NP! Age is relative.... I am way to young to be this old!
Toss back a lemonade and cheers!

28 and a half Leigh!!..Happy Birthday!!..I have to get this on quick because it is only still your birthday for 6 more minutes according to my computer clock...The worlds better for your being here..I know I am..hugs..and hope you had a great day! ~Cat

Ok...the reason I said the flavor of bergamont you wild and juniper berry bunch...is because it tastes like earl grey tea to me...bergamont..is what you get when you get earl grey tea unless that is again juniper berries and I do not know it...there now..that settles that I think....

as to age...I am older than NP and I don't care...I am six in my mind and that is where I like to be...keeps things simple and I still get to ooooh and awww of silly little things like a 6 year old...nothing gets too complicated in a 6 year old mind you know...just looking forward to the next day.

Sarah..I am not a big drinker at all so all drinks I have had or accidently dumped in someone's lap(it was a tequila sunrise) when I worked in a pub for a very short time..stand out in my mind.

Weeds...because I like lime so well..I doubt I will ever have scurvy and I doubt I will need anything sterilized anytime soon..just as well cuz not a drop of booze anywhere near here..hmmm...would not mind one now and again lately ...but you know...got to keep a clear head here..and NP..good job on no booze and cigarettes..I quit smoking over, oh gosh, lets see...16 years ago I guess...glad I did..My Big Dave had quit too and always said.."It was the hardest thing I ever did."

Been painting primer on the ceiling and the walls of my living room all day..could sure go for a tub of Sticky Toffee Pudding icecream with Bailys poured over it...lol...but not a chance of that..doubt I will get out of this chair anytime soon now...lol..now that I have sat myself here...lol

Hmmmm...... Ms "has the mind of a 6 year old"....Bergamot (Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia) is "a small and roughly pear-shaped fragrant citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia"......good old Wikipedia!!

Ok...ms..Wiki scholarish type...what do I know now..that I did not know before..LOL..I toll you..why I said bergamont...tastes like pine bark..

I hated the taste of earl grey tea at first..gack....but I got used to it once when I had no other tea to drink....and needed caffeine...so now I like the taste of pine bark..much better..juniper berries taste like pine bark do they?

LOL.....I've never actually tasted pine bark Cat...I was afraid to get splinters in my tongue!! Juniper berries taste like.....well.....juniper berries!!
Earl Grey tea is not so bad.....especially with a shot of Baileys in it......I had it at a restaurant once...it was called a London Fog.....Yummmm.

Now that combo will never touch my lips..gack Gilli!....Bailey's in a cup of Earl Grey Tea???..oh-la-la...not sure I would like that....

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it Cj. It is surprisingly good.

enough of ya earl grey talk that not a propper cup of rosey lee lol

Oh goodness, it's 14 this time! Ok, keeping it breif:-

Weeds - what is an Egg Beater please? (Other than a kind of whisk)

Bb - yes, liquidise their assets, so to speak... x-)

Cat - glad to hear your 6 years old in your head.....me, I still HAVE TO walk through piles of leaves, snow HAS TO be made into a snow ball and thrown at someone and stray peas HAVE TO be flicked when nobody is looking .....and I LOVE lime milkshakes :-)

I've never tasted pine bark either, but next time I see a pine tree I will be sure to go over and take a bite. Should I swallow the pine bark or, like wine-tasters, should I spit it out? What is the custom please? I'm getting to look rather like a small and roughly pear-shaped fruit, so I have something in common with Bergamots.....

Gilli - I want to try a London Fog ;-)

OMG you people are gonna have Sid taking huge hunks out of pine trees at the sides of the road. If you REALLY want to taste pine buy yourself a bottle of Greek wine called Retsina, although I don't recommend it. Yuck! I'm told it is a acquired taste.

"Eggbeaters" is a product that is supposed to be safer and lower cholesterol than fresh eggs. You can buy it in the dairy section, I'm sure there is something similar in the UK, maybe with a different name!

LIME MILKSHAKE!! Sounds delish! : )

I'm with NP, Earl grey is not a proper cup!

....cough....splutter....cough....tooo......late.....are there....cough....any dentists....cough.....here.....?????

LOL...silly Sarah....I only know what pine bark tastes like by its smell..taste buds and the ole sniffer work pretty well together ya know...oh I have had the occasional pine needle fall in my sandwich while camping but never have tried a piece of the bark...
I agree...a nice black english breakfast type tea is far better than earl grey, still only drink it as a last resort..I like mine sweet with cream...
You would have loved my lime and coconut icecream I carried in Mud Cat Sarah....it was lucious and I made shakes with it too..had one customer who came in and I was out..she actually stamped her foot and about cried..I saw a child in a 50 year old so clearly..lol..The mom in me came out & I gave her the empty tub and a spoon and she walked out the door happily scraping the tub past customers coming in..lol... she got some funny looks but she did not care at all..lol..it is so fun to see adults still have a child in them...nothing like candy, icecream and cookies to do it..
Today I am having my porridge of Oatmeal,wheatgerm and apples with cream and a dollop of sour cream for breakfast and then will be working my garage sale most of the day..but will come in and have some of my homemade soup I took out of the freezer last night for my lunch/dinner.
Probably will eat the same thing for my supper tonight...and the same tomorrow as I run my sale again...lots easier than trying to cook while working outside.

i love home made ministroni soup yum yum

Yeah, Egg Beaters is one of the those processed egg products supposed to be better than any chicken can produce. LOL I'll have chicken lovers down on me after that statement. Processed food is only slightly better than giving friends and family salmonella poisoning.

Speaking of processing,,,no one has mentioned Spam.

My sensitve palate says juniper berries give sloe gin a turpentine after-taste as do pine needles and pine pitch.

I think Earl Grey and Baileys might be good. I'll keep it on my list of things to try.

spams horrible

Hey..now I have loved a good ole grilled Spam sandwich more than once....with a little mustard....especially on camping trips..lol...I don't mind it fried..not right out of the can though...would rather have other things..but I can make it work...LOL
Thank you Weeds I thought someone would be able to relate eventually..lol..pine pitch is probably more like it..it is an aquired taste I believe..I hated it at first...
I have never used Egg Beaters...but for what you are making it is probably for the best...

Sid ~ Stop, stop, stop. Don't eat any more pine trees. They really aren't for eating no matter what Cat does!! If you eat much more you'll get wood worm!!
Spam's not so bad if its fried....But I really only will have it on camping trips. And it has to have mustard and ketchup on it.
A turpintine after taste???? I've never tasted turpintine either!! What strange things you guys eat down there.
I made a huge pot of ham and split peas soup.....No one in my finicky family seems to like it except me.....would you like me to send some down to you Cat??
Just for the record....I much prefer good old black tea or orange pekoe tea over Earl Grey...unless of course, there is Baileys involved. :o)

OOOHHHHH!! Split pea and ham soup. Yummy! My family doesn't like it either. I love it, send me some please!

I'th goth pine needleth thtuck in my mouth....thum-one could have warned me....

Yeth, I came acroth English Breakfath tea when I vithited Canada....ith about the only tea I can drink black - very thmooth tath-t I thumtimes thill buy thum. Hangon....cough.....spit....oh that's better - another pine needle. I like rouibos tea - AKA Redbush - not really a tea (doesn't come from a plant in the Camellia family). Has a nice sweet taste. One thing I noticed in Canada is that you couldn't get skimmed milk. If you asked for it you got some very blank looks or they made out that they had to go on some special expedition to the cupboard they kept stocked up in the event of aukward foreigh customers inconveniently dropping in. If you ordered tea they gave you cream to put in it....not right! lol Cream for coffee, milk for tea. Most folks here prefer semi-skimmed milk these days and you couldnt get that at all.......is it still like that?!

Cat - I'm sure I would have loved all your icecreams no matter what flavour! Did you make them up yourself? My grandad sold icecream off his push bike pre-war - all made by hand of course :-) I had toast and strawberry jam for breakfast :-9

How long is your garage sale going to last? Do you do carboot sales?

Weeds - yeah, what do the chickens know about making eggs, eh?

Gilli - thanks for the belated warning. I don't feel welll.... think I might have a touch of the dutch elm disease.....feeling like pine-ing away..... Doesn't drinking turpentine make you go blind? Don't think I'll be trying that any time soon......

Don't think I've ever tried split pea and ham soup....why are the peas split? Isn't that a rather laborious process?!

Spam, spam, spam, spam,
spam, spam, spam, spam......

Have you seen that advert on the telly Sarah....where that older couple go out for a celebration romantic meal....and it's Spam and Salad..........gufffawww....I should have frisbeed it across the table at him! lol

Ewwwwww Janey - so would I! Naw, nasty stuff as far as I'm concerned....

i dont blame ya janey lol

LOL Janey....just what we said when first saw the ad !

This just happens to be UK's National Spam Appreciation Week. You didn't know that when you started mean-mouthing Spam did you?
You guys from over on that side need to show a little respect, please. :-)

Sid, Sid! don't drink turpentine, I only meant that Sloe Gin Fizzes taste like turpentine smells. Pease limit your pine consumption to pine nuts.

Gilli...home made split pea -n-ham soup...yummers ship it on down here..i will put it in my freezer and eat it when I am bored with this that I am having now..lol...
Are you sure you are English Gilli...this bunch in the UK acting up so bad over the Spam sure makes me think you are a red blooded American gal..lol...it has good memories for me ..lol..out in the woods or the beach camping out ...lol..it is all good.
Tharah..thop with the pine needlth...they are not a health food..lol..
mmmm..Weeds...I do love pine nuts toasted and in salads... or soups or dressing..they are so good.
Do you eat much in the way of cornbread over there in the UK? It is a favorite here with my family...I like to add cream style corn to it along with shredded cheddar and canned green chiles...it is yummy that way.
Of course Weeds if you learned to eat it the way your brother liked it..with butter and maple syrup, the additions will not work so well...but I like it with soups and meals with all the extra goodies in it..It is good with the butter and maple syrup by the way..I did try it his way a few times...lol

spams not propper food it was a way of your parents punishing you honest lol

That's right Np.............was introduced during the war from the U.S....and was used when food was rationed etc...so from my childhood..was thought as that cheap yucky stuff! lol
Reminds me of the days of Sunday Tea with tinned fruit and evap, and if you hadn't finished your bread and butter, you had to eat it with the fruit etc. I remember always putting my crusts underneath the plate edge, then when Mum cleared the table there was a ring of bread there!!...LOL

it is isnt it.i know what goes into a high quality sausage .i cant imagine what crap they put in this stuff

As an American I can't actually say I don't like Spam : ) ( but I don't) I just don't eat it. NP do not go to Hawaii, you would not believe to what high esteem they hold Spam. I think for most it is a nostalgia thing.

I think I can answer that question for you Cf. Most Brits do not eat corn and cornmeal as we know it here, (Correct me if I'm wrong guys) It is considered and used mainly as a animal feed. With your creamstyle corm and chillies add also some minced ham and garlic and onions and you have "Hambalaya Cornbread" yummy and good to take on those camping trips!

I have been known to eat fried Spam or Spam Fritters. Don't do "straight out of the can" Spam sandwiches. Mr Weeds does. His Dad learned to like it when he was in WWII and brought the love of it it back home with him. Mr Weeds' Mom could make a can of Spam feed their whole family of 6 and any of the neighbors who showed up at dinnertime. She mixed it with everything. Spaghetti, rice, potatoes. It was a cheap meal.
NP one of my good friends swears they make it out of pig lips. LOL

Yeah, Cat I'm a purist when it comes to cornbread. Still love it for breakfast with butter or butter and syrup. I have eaten it with creamed corn in it but not green chilis. Bet it's good with chili.
Right, Wolhi, Hawaii has it on all their menus. More ham is consummed in Hawaii than any other state in US. (I looked it up on Wiki.)

Janey, you needed a dog under the table to eat your bread crusts at Sunday Tea. :-)

way hay! Wohlibuli as they say from the home of Newcastle Brown or even Howway the lads! which means Come on ..get in there and score score! when applied to the local foot ball team!
As for Earl Grey(from Newcastle)his taste in tea was dubious!
Give me Twinings everyday every time!

Cannot say my dad brought a love of Spam back with him from WWII...cannot even remember if he ate it..but I think we did have it on sandwiches..not my favorite..loved peanut butter and jelly myself...but he did love Devilsworst sandwiches which I thought were disgusting..not sure where that came from...loved limburger cheese too..oh my gosh...oh yuck...dirty socks on a sandwich...he needed new taste buds I think...LOL...oh dear...but he was a good cook and cooked the best pancakes and eggs and bacon on Week-end mornings...
Now getting back to Spam..seems my mother-in-law with 9 children could make Spam go a ways...had forgotten about that...that is also where I learned about fried spam sandwiches...my ex husband liked them..also grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup and a pickle...lol..
My son can probably still make the best grilled cheese sandwich in the world..those were his specialty when it was his turn to cook at home..lol
They loved Spam in Tahiti and pork-n-beans and canned corn too..mixed the canned corn in with the pork-n-beans in a pot on fishing trips ate it cold with chunks of french bread out of a communal pot...dipped right in there and scooped it out......lol...by the time I left there I was beginning to add it to my shopping cart..!!
I did love their Poisson Crue there...it was very good...
Of course we used to open cans of pork-n-beans and have them cold at pic-nics for the 4th of July all the time...a picnic staple for sure.

I am a fan of Twinnings too Arlene...it is my absolute favorite so far...

Cheese and pickle in a sandwich of whole meal bread is called a ploughman's lunch where as a Cornish pastie was traditionally supposed to be filled with meat and potato at one end and something sweet at the other, and if necessary when they were down the mines thy could hold it by the crimped crust if their hands were dirty and then throw that away~ not sure how true that is~does anyone know?
I must admit to liking my beans hot on toast with Worcester sauce or pepper sprinkled on and proper pork sausages!

thats true arlene.i doubt pigs lips are used but you can bet its not loin of pork in it either lol

Gosh do pigs have lips? and if they don't how can you put lipstick on a pig? You know the phrase.."If you put lipstick on a pig..it is still a pig." and I did hear that before Obama said it...lol....also" Can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear." Oh my...oh dear...I bet there is some pig snout in there...my grand parents used to make something called head cheese...they and my dad liked to eat that on a sandwich...ummm..not me...

~I love pease pudding but you can only get it freshly made in the North~once tried tinned but was revolting!

What on earth is pease pudding Arlene?

~ EASE PUDDING
Recipe Two

Ingredients:
Large Ham Shank
Salt Pepper
475g (about a one pound pack) Split Peas
Method:(2)

Place Large sized ham shank in large cooking pot cover with water. Bring to the boil, then drain the water. Replace with new clean water, and bring back to the boil.

Remove the ham shank, break off very small pieces of the meat into your stock. Enough to your own taste. Not a lot though as this is a split pea recipe rather than a meaty recipe.

Add the split peas (475g to every 2 litres of water) turn heat off and allow to steep for 4 hours. Next bring back to boil and then simmer, keep stirring and checking, as you only want the mix, to reach a nice medium consistency, (not too thick or thin) as once this cools it sets thicker.

When cooled place in refrigerator. Chill and serve with, salad or - with cold ham sandwiches or even with Roast Potatoes beef and Gravy. Has many other uses.

Many grown up's today will remember waiting as children, for this being made, and then eating it hot, pasted onto fresh bread and butter.
This is a similar recipe to one my mother used but I think she added an egg but she never added any meat~she always served it with the ham.Delicious in sandwiches.

Huh..sounds like split pea soup only we add onions etc..to it and eat it as a hot thick soup for a meal...would never have thought to put it on a sandwich etc...wild..Gilli..did you know about this?...LOL..silly question I know...
Weeds...did YOU know about this..? LOL..another silly question right? LOL...
and on my list of things to ask GF about....lol...he will appreciate it..I am sure..lol...

Ooh now cheese toasties.....yum...especially with Branstons! The Spanish do cheese and ham toasties called Bikinis....great for a snack. One thing we really miss being back here are the little Tapas served with a drink anytime, and Aleoli with crusty bread and Olives......to die for!.....garlic, egg mayonnaise olive oil....red wine.....waiting for a home made Cuatro Estaciones Pizza (Four Seasons) which was divided into four with different toppings on each piece.
Mussels Marinere and fried Anchovies...with the sound of the sea and local music in the background.............:o)

~it sets like a fairly soft paste because you drain the liquid Caroline and I think we used lentils rather than peas~ the colour is not green but a sort of dark beige/caramel .I think I will have to give it a try!Will let you know!
GF won't know about this as I think it is only from Northumberland,Durham. maybe Yorkshire~have to ask BB and Jane.

snails again yak

We have something here they make from garbonzo beans etc. that is called hummus..maybe what you are talking about is something the same..they make it with legumes of different sorts and eat it as you are saying.

Cat, Arlene...nope didn't know about pease pudding. Other than the childrens rhyme. I do like lentils better than split peas, but I haven't cooked them for years. We ate a lot of white beans and ham when I was growing up. Dry beans cooked all day with some ham and onions, with homemade white bread and butter. :-)

I make what I call a pastie, that came from somewhere back in my ancestry. Meat and potatoes in a crimped pie crust. I use left over roast beef and put leftover gravy over it. No sweet stuff in it though, don't throw the crimped crust away just drizzle it with gravy and eat the whole thing.

~hi Paula
Check this out~it seems somehow that you have the pastie courtesy of the Cornish~did you have relatives from there?

It was once said that the Devil would never dare to cross the River Tamar into Cornwall for fear of ending up as a filling in a Cornish Pasty. For centuries the Cornish have been filling their famous pasties with almost any ingredients that you would care to think of. The traditional filling is, of course, beef and potato, usually with slices of onion and swede mixed in as well, but the humble pasty can also be found in a number of other guises. Popular fillings down the years have included Egg and Bacon, Rabbit, Apples, Figs, Jam, and Egg and Currants. There is virtually no limit to what tasty filling you might find when you take a first bite into that delicious crunchy pastry! Surprisingly, however, in a region where the sea plays such an important role in everyday life, fish has never been regarded as an appropriate pasty filling. In fact, the more superstitious among Cornish fishermen will refuse to take a pasty on board their boat when they set out to sea, in the belief that it will bring them bad luck.

The pasty originally evolved to meet the needs of tin mining, that other great, but now sadly declined, Cornish industry. A hearty meal wrapped in a pastry casing made for a very practical lunch (or "croust" , as they used to call it ) down in the dark and damp tunnels of the mine. Some mines even built huge ovens on the surface to keep the miner's pasties hot until it was time to eat.

Tradition has it that the original pasties contained meat and vegetables in one end and jam or fruit in the other end, in order to give the hard-working men 'two courses'. Cornish housewives also marked their husband's initials on the left-hand side of the pastry casing, in order to avoid confusion at lunchtime. This was particularly useful when a miner wished to save a 'corner' of his pasty until later, or if he wanted to leave a corner for one of the 'Knockers'. The Knockers were the mischievous 'little people' of the mines, who were believed by the miners to cause all manner of misfortune, unless they were placated with a small amount of food, after which they could prove to be a source of good luck.

Today there is still a great deal of debate among pasty-makers about exactly how a genuine pasty should be made. Many will tell you that a pasty can only be made with short pastry, while others will advocate rough puff as the ideal pastry. Some will claim that the ingredients must be mixed up inside the pastry, while others will swear that the fillings should be laid out in a particular order before the pasty is sealed. The issue that invites the most controversy involves the famous 'crimp', the wavy seam that holds the whole pasty together. Should the pasty be sealed across the top, or at the side? History suggests that the crimp should be formed at the side, because the pasty has always been eaten by hand, and the side crimp is the most convenient way of holding onto your lunch while you take a big bite. Others may beg to differ! There are, fortunately, some facts that can be agreed upon by all pasty-makers. The meat should be chopped, the vegetables should always be sliced, and the ingredients must never be cooked before they are wrapped in the pastry. Each pasty must be baked completely from raw. It is this fact that makes the Cornish Pasty unique amongst similar foods from around the world.

Nobody knows for certain the true origins of the pasty, although it can be traced at least as far back as the middle ages. It is believed that Henry VIII's Queen, Jane Seymour, enjoyed a tasty pasty on several occasions. Over the years the pasty has spread across the country and around the world. Variations can be found in counties such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cumberland, although it has been suggested that Cornish miners introduced the pasty to these places when they left Cornwall and moved up-country in search of work. Cornish emigrants also introduced the pasty onto the American continent. They are popular in parts of the United States, as well as in Argentina and Mexico.

Depending on where you go, pasties come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Until recently, a group of Young Farmers in Cornwall held the record for making the largest pasty known to man. The pasty, which was baked in 1985, took seven hours to make, and measured over 32 feet in length! Amazingly, their record was believed to be beaten in May 1999, when bakers in Falmouth made their own giant pasty during the town's first ever Pasty Festival.

The pasty is, and always shall be associated with Cornwall. It holds a special place in Cornish culture and in the hearts of the Cornish people. For many people the pasty is the greatest symbol of Cornwall. When the Cornish Rugby team plays an important match, a giant Cornish pasty is symbolically hoisted over the bar before the start of the game. It is a tradition that dates back to 1908, and the original giant pasty is still used to this day.

While many inhabitants of Cornwall still like to bake their own, the pasty has risen to become big business in shops and supermarkets throughout the country. Nowadays, you can even dial-a-pasty straight to your door! Any Cornish man or woman will tell you, however, that a true Cornish pasty can only be homebaked in the traditional way, and you will only experience the mouth-watering taste of a true Cornish pasty if you pay a visit to the county where it was created.

wow lol

I wonder if all the different ethnic savory pastries can trace their lineage back to the Cornish Pasty? Let's see there is the Italian Calzone, the Indian Samosa and the Jamaican Patty.... hmm what else I wonder? : )

Wohlibuli
saw this as well ~I knew I had read somewhere about them throwing the crust away because the hands were dirty but didn't realise about the arsenic~wouldn't really want to eat that would you!
~though pasties in general have a long history in British cuisine dating back to the 13th century, it wasn’t until the expansion of tin and copper mining in Cornwall in the 18th and 19th centuries that the Cornish Pasty came into existence.

Cornish Pasties were born out of the necessity to feed the miners and other workers, who needed a nutritious meal to sustain them through their long day of gruelling work. Pasties were the perfect food. The thick pastry case made them highly portable as well as acting as an insulator for the hot filling. Furthermore, the crimped edge also acted as a handle which could be thrown away – an important aspect as workers’ hands were more than often dirty and, in the case of tin miners, had traces of arsenic which was frequently present in tin mines.
When you think of 13th century peasants eating pasties not much has changed!

I had heard about the crust "handle" on a travel TV show but I didn't know it was because of arsenic, very dangerous...and sad really.
Food history is yet another of the family interests and something we can have a group discussion about, with my hub and daughter on the science side and my son and I on the artists side. Sometimes makes for lively conversation. We read a book recently on the prolifiration of spices throughout the world, very interesting.

~I think all the old industries were dangerous~the factories.mills mines etc~you would never get past our health and safety rules these days!

Food...we need to discuss food...health & safety rules must move along now...lol...puddings, cakes, pies, sheperds pie..isn't that an English dish & Gilli..I have forgotten what toad in the hole is...seems I remember it and thought it sounded good...tell me about it again ...please..?.

~sausage in yorkshire pudding cat!shepherds pie is cooked minced lamb with cooked potato on top browned in the oven.

recipe

Serving instructions

1. Serves 4 |
2. Ready in about 1½ hours |
3.
Rate 1 star Rate 2 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 5 stars
Rating

Ingredients

1. 2 onions
2. 2 tbsp olive oil
3. 500g lean lamb mince
4. 1 beef stock cube
5. 1 tbsp tomato purée
6. 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
7. 1 tbsp plain flour
8. 1kg potatoes
9. 4 tbsp milk
10. Knob of butter

Method

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Cook the onions in 1 tbsp oil in a casserole until soft. Turn up the heat, add the mince and cook for about 10 minutes, until browned.
2. 2. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée, sprinkle with the flour and season, then stir until the flour is mixed in. Pour in the stock and bring the mixture to the boil, then cover and put in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. 3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Drain, add the milk, butter, seasoning and the remaining olive oil and mash.
4. 4. Take the mince out of the oven and turn the temperature up to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Tip the mince into a 1.3 litre ovenproof dish. Spoon the potato on top to cover the mince. Put the dish on a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes, until the top is golden.

A modern take on toad in the hole for Caroline!
1. tbsps olive oil
2. 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon
3. 4 pork sausages
4. 125g dry batter mix
5. 1 medium free-range egg
6. 200ml water
7. A handful of vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
8. A few rosemary leaves
9. A jar of ready-made onion gravy

Method

1. 1. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a 1.5-litre shallow roasting tin and preheat in the oven at 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7.
2. 2. Meanwhile, wrap 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon around 4 pork sausages. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and cook the sausages for 5 minutes, until browned on all sides.
3. 3. Gradually mix the dry batter mix with 1 egg and 200ml water in a bowl. Arrange the browned sausages in the preheated dish and pour the batter around them. Dot the batter with a handful of vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and a few rosemary leaves and return to the oven for 20-25 minutes, until risen and browned.
4. 4. Warm the onion gravy in a pan or in a dish in the microwave to serve alongside.

Wow Arlene....that sounds deelish! Like the idea of the bacon and tomatoes too...will be trying this this week! :o)

Cottage pie is great too with minced beef...sliced carrot and peas and a topping of mashed potatoes with cheese...browned under the grill...mmm...

Yummy sounding! A very tasty addition to a Shepherds pie is tarragon, gives it a different twist!

Thanks Arlene..I am not a lamb eater..have never gotten used to it so would more than likely do the beef for myself...it all sounds great.. toad in the hole with the tomatoes really sounds good...
I have never had Yorkshire pudding..the closest thing I have had to such a thing is baking powder bisquits and gravy which are surely not at light as your Yorkshire pudding is..although my mother used to make them very light and fluffy...with buttermilk...
I rarely eat anything bread like except for toast these days it seems..and then it is the very grainiest I can find...with lots of fiber..lol...no white flours to speak of. With of course peanut butter...lol...has been a mainstay in my life since before I was born I think...mom craved peanut butter while pregnant with me and she did not even like it any other time..LOL..I craved cheese with one my pregnancies and..while I was expecting it did not affect my allergies to dairy...cannot remember cravings in any of the others...I actually heard on the news that if you eat peanut butter you are less likely to catch colds than if you don't...never knew that before. I have a cold very rarely maybe once a year if that...had one this year..must have not had enough peanut butter..lol..
mmmm...I like tarragon Wohli...

These recipes are brilliant thank you - my only problem is dont have a laptop to read from whilst in the kitchen.

Once I find the kitchen do I remove the cooker and bring to the computer or vice versa ?

I do believe that is what printers are for...lol...

Is it possible to print Goy pages direct ? Cj that would save me a lot of re - organising..

~if you have a preview facility to see what page number you want to print ~then quit preview and put the number in?We have a canon 5200 printer and I am always printing goy stuff for reference.

Thank you Arlene really didnt know that so no excuse for not trying those recipes ..off to find a shepherd

~baaa!Run for the hills!
~must admit BB we usually eat beef mince with suet dumplings mash and HP sauce,carrots and peas !
I know that some of the GOY items can cover up to 12 pages so you don't want to print them all~also cheaper if you print black and white only(grayscale).

Ah suet dumplings what a treat - well anything suet remember those lovely suet puddings at school ? Jam roly poly ...wonderful.

~I remember at school having a leek savoury pudding served with veg and stewed beef~absolutely gorgeous!also have suet dumplings with home made very thick veg broth~

You can also do a copy to a note pad and print it off too...lol...thot you had it figured didn't you BB...lol

Women and technology.....two things Ive never fathomed Lol.......

lol

~Apple macs are user friendly BB!

~and here is the Guinness chocolate cake ! makes a lovely birthday cake for a Guinness fan!
Chocolate Guinness Cake

Chocolate Guinness Cake
From “Feast” by Nigella Lawson, published by Chatto & Windus
For the cake
250ml Guinness
250g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
142ml sour cream
2 eggs
1tbsp vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the topping
300g Philadelphia cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125ml double or whipping cream
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180˚C, butter and line a 23cm springform tin.
Start by pouring the Guinness into a large, wide saucepan and add the butter; heat until the butter’ melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with eggs and vanilla and then pour in the pan of brown, buttery, beer and finally whisk in the four and bicarb.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it’ quite a damp cake.
When the cake’ cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and then beat them both together. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency.
Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Yummy Arlene..another stone in weight then !

~well perhaps not too often BB!but it is very nice...

~when you have tried the Guinness chocolate cake what about the ham in coke???!!!

Well never heard of that Arlene - sounds like you could get high on pork lol

~ not that sort of coke BB!the stuff that comes in tins!

Well did say wasnt much good in the kitchen didnt I ! Mind you sunday lunch would be interesting ...end up seeing the in - laws in a wholly different light !

~and everything else!

Arlene, I'm sorry I didn't get back to you on the pasties...way, way back there on this thread. I stopped to see if any of my ancestors were from Cornwall area- (no, not that I found so far,) then I got side tracked in Slaithewaite, with some information on the Net about a possible connection to my grandfather's ancestors. Then I took a brief trip back to Cheshire to visit my hubby's several generations back great grandmother. Seems I have ancestors everyplace over there except Conwall where they make the pasties. In honor of some unknown Weeds ancestor who started a great tradition...I am making pasties tonight. Thanks for the great article. I saved it.
(I just copy it to a Word document and save it.)
BB Sorry you don't fathom women or technology...eventually you might need one or the other..LOL
By the way, nobody understands technology anymore it changes everyday...how can anyone keep up?

~oh I bet they are nice~save me one!You will have to try the chocolate Guinness cake as well~really is delicious!
Have you done a proper family tree yet~there is one which contains my father's family line on Ancestry with relatives in Canada.I suppose a lot of Americans and Canadians have relatives from all over the UK and Europe as they all left to find a better life.
~the same with South Africa and Australia and New Zealand~we do get about a bit!~ back to Victorian times when we went everywhere !
If you have an address you can get an aerial view on Multimap?
I bet BB knows Huddersfield as in the same county as Scarborough where he lives.
Arlene

Well now I have made a meat pie/pasty made for my ex husband..he requested something his Bohemian Grandmother made that he liked..it was called a Perojki...it had cabbage and beef and onions if I remember right..it was a long process making the filling..but was very good..have not made them in over 22 years I suppose...
I am a pc user and and do not get along with macs all that well but can tolerated them...my daughter on the other hand learned on a mac and absolutely detests my pc's..lol...
I have ancestors from a few parts of the UK...lol and Northern and Southern Norway..

Good grief! If you go back far enough I have ancestors from England, Ireland, Scotland, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and Azerbaijan. Actually it is sometimes easier to follow family lines amongst the churches as opposed to civil records, because my family from the UK were all Society of Friends (Quakers) and most all the European ones were Mennonites. So lots of records available there.
But then I went and married a Catholic from the UK! : )
Guinness Cake sounds fabulous, think I will have to try that!

hello there
~ham in coke!Really nice too!
Ingredients
2kg gammon, mild cure
1 Onions, peeled and halved
2 litres cola

For the glaze
1 handful Cloves
1 tbsp black treacle
2 tsp English mustard powder
2 tbsp demerara sugar

1. I find now that mild-cure gammon doesn't need soaking. If you know that you're dealing with a salty piece, then put it in a pan covered with cold water, bring to the boil then tip into a colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the gammon in a pan, skin side down if it fits like that, add the onion then pour over the cola.

2. Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for just under 2 1/2 hours. If your joint is larger or smaller work out timing by reckoning on an hour a kilo altogether, remembering that it's going to get a quick blast in the oven later. But do take into account that if the gammon's been in the fridge right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give a good 15 or so minutes' extra so that the interior is properly cooked.

3. Meanwhile preheat oven to 240°C/gas 9.

4. When the ham's had its time (and ham it is now it's cooked, though it's true that Americans call it ham from its uncooked state) take it out of the pan but do not throw away the cooking liquid. Let the ham cool a little for ease of handling. (Indeed you can let it cool completely then finish off the cooking at some later stage if you want).

5. Remove skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove. Then carefully spread the treacle over the bark-budded skin taking care not to dislodge the cloves. Then gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat.

6. Cook, in a foil lined roasting tin for approximately 10 minutes or till the glaze is burnished and bubbly.

7. Should you want to do the braising stage in advance and then let the ham cool, clove and glaze it and give it 30-40 minutes, from room temperature, at 180°C/gas 4, turning up the heat towards the end if you think it needs it.

Cook's note: this recipe is from How to Eat, with some rejigging (just because it's not in my nature to leave completely alone) and I don't apologise for reproducing, or rather recasting, it because I simply cannot urge you to try this strongly enough. The first time I made it, it was, to be frank, really just out of amused interest. I'd heard, and read, about this culinary tradition from the deep South, but wasn't expecting it, in all honesty, to be any good. The truth is it's magnificent, and makes converts of anyone who eats it. But, if you think about it, it's not surprising it should work: the sweet, spiky drink just infuses it with spirit of barbecue. I have to force myself to cook ham any other way now; though often I don't bother with the glaze but just leave it for longer in the bubbling cola instead.

And the salty, sweet liquor it leaves behind in the pot after it's cooked makes an instant base for the most fabulous black bean soup.

But just one thing before we start: don't even consider using diet cola; it's full-fat or nothing.!!!!

Serves: 8
Prep: 15 min, plus soaking if necessary
Cook: 2 hrs 40 min

Now I do love bean soup lol...oh goodness..I have never in my life cooked a ham that was not already cooked..it is already in the ham state of being..and I always just apply the glaze and cook as in the second part of this procedure..so this means I now have to find a raw piece of pork to make the coke soup base for beans..lol..oh dear...wonder if a pork roast would work..on a smaller scale...pork chops? maybe? with just a little bottle of coke...a meal for one that might last a day or two..and then a cup of bean soup later? lol..
and yes Wohli....me too..heinz 57 mutt I am ...blood lines from all over including American Indian..My children are even more mixed...but have a lot of English because they got it from both sides ...so maybe it comes back round again after a while...who knows...I just like being...and learning about each others cultures...I think food in our cultures speaks volumes.
I still don't understand why the English seem to not have adapted cornmeal & cornbread into their diets...it is good stuff...lol..

Oh good lord how am I meant to get through this lot..........

Only just found this discussion - wow are all gardeners foodies do you think??

On the corn meal thing - its probably not well used here, as maize (as a farming great uncle of mine used to call it) was primarily used as animal fodder as the varieties that were grown didnt plump up and become as sweet due to the lack of sunshine / water / length of growing season we have here. But I know it is much better used elsewhere in europe as we visit the Canary Islands regularly and on La Gomera they use loads of Gofio in cooking and that is sun dried maize/corn and other grains which have been ground to a flour- its delicious.

Well, at least we seem to have moved on from Spam. Wohli - you have totally ruined my perception of exotic Hawaii! White sand, palm trees, hunky fisherman in grass skirts landing their burgening catches from brightly painted boats.........and eating their spam sandwiches. :-S

The best pasties in the WORLD are to be found at the pasty shop on the highstreet in Falmouth, Cornwall. They MUST be eaten while sitting with ones legs dangling over the sea wall. But watch out for the pesky seagulls.....

Cat - of course pigs have lips otherwise how would they whistle?

Did anyone (UK) see Heston Blooming-mad's program yesterday re the Victorian food? UGH! YAK! GROSS! And the 'Edible Garden' complete with bugs - as if eating grubs wasn't gross enough as it was, he injected them with mayonaise to 'give them a more realistic squelch when you bit them'. Not surprised at all that he was recently reported to have poisened 400 people at his restaurant! And snail porridge indeed.......

Cat. Corn. Hmmm. Over here it is more commonly known as sweetcorn or corn-on-the-cob and is eaten whole, lightly boiled or steamed or bbq-ed with a nob of butter on top. otherwise, in it's dried hard-as-rock form it is fed to animals. Cornflower is used as a thickening engredient. What is this 'creamed corn' you speak of?

Ducky - we posted at the same time ;-)

Cat, Sounds like the pork Arlene is talking about is cured with salt but not precooked like our hams. Salt pork. Hum...don't remember seeing it in our grocery stores, bet you could get it at a butcher shop, maybe. My sister-in-law makes a barbecue beef something like this. The Coke tenderizes the beef to the point where it falls apart then you eat it on buns. Easy to make a lot to feed a crew of people.
Wohli, I think everyone has mixed ancestry. Fascinating isn't it? My research on my family hasn't extended as far as Russia or the Far East. Everytime I discover ancesters in a new location, I learn volumes about that area; great way to learn history and geography. Mr Weeds ancestors were Puritans. A lot of info for his family is on file with LDS in Salt Lake City.
Arlene, What is Multi-map? I saved the Guinness cake recipe. I should make one for my kids when they get back from Ireland. They'd love that.
Cat, I agree, cornbread is one of my favorite things. And baking powder biscuits.

Hi there
# Gammon is also called ham. It is meat from the back leg of a pig, usually preserved with smoke or salt or both.
www.simuteck.com/Suan_Kularb/M5/Weird%20Food%20vocabulary.doc
It';s www.multimap .com which also gives you an aerial view of the location as well as a map.
~doesn't everyone like nice food?

Oh yes Weeds..I have heard of the coke and beef..have never tried it...bet it works well for that too..
LOL..Ducky we certainly don't grind out own cornmeal ...we buy boxes of Albers cornmeal and then mix it with flour etc..or by a mix for cornbread from Krusteaz...and make a pan of it to have with meals...creamed corn is corn that is sweet and mushed up a bit so it is creamy my children liked it when I made it in to a casserol of sorts by adding saltine crackers cream and an egg to it and baked it..sort of a corn pudding I suppose..
Sarah...you are so funny...you watched some one for how long doing this? Gack..bug mayo stuffing business..
Sorry to deflate your balloon too, but pigs don't whistle that is squealing they do. Corn on the cob boiled one minute and covered in butter and salt yes...we eat it like that too as well as bbq'd or roasted and scraped off the cob......yummers...popcorn is very popular as well..with lots of butter too of course. Especially while watching movies...
Corn is not all that nutritional, mostly sugar but it does taste awfully good and I consider it a treat..and it is a good fattening agent for pigs going to slaughter...you know they study the pigs anatomy because it so resembles our own...hmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmm....isn't that something....hmmmm...I feel like a bit of a cannibal I think....... /: - ]

Yes - and we use pig-parts in us when bits conk out......we are both omnivors too..... There is one difference tho - pigs are very intelligent.....

I thought pigs oinked...I like that word x-) They do say that the only bit of a pig you can't eat is the squeal....

Oh my goodness.....you don't come on here for a couple of days and you miss out on 74 new comments.....!!
My ham and pea soup is made with ham, ham stock, split peas, grated carrots, chopped onion, salt, pepper, thyme and basil. Its lovely....well, at least I think it is. Ham and pea soup with a splash of sherry is lovely too.

Pease porrige hot, pease porrige cold, pease porrige in the pot, nine days old.....Yes, I do know about pease pudding....although being from good old Yorkshire, mushy peas were more often on the menu.

Cat ~ I thought hummus was made from chick peas??? And yes, I am definitely British but I have a good dose of Canadian....Did half my growing up in Yorkshire and half in Vancouver. I lost my accent fairly quickly as I was teased unmercifully about it in school but I've always hung on to my Yorkshire side. I was terribly homesick when we came and hated it here for years. It took me 30 years before I took out citizenship and then it was only because I was suddenly a single Mum of canadian children and I thought that I should. My ancestors on both sides, with very very few exceptions, are Yorkshire folk back to at least the 1500's. I'm as Yorkshire as they come really, I'm just displaced. LOL

Sid ~ We have skimmed milk in Canada. And partly skimmed (1%, 2%), and whole milk and a variety of creams (but not clotted cream). They do serve cream with tea though....that drives me nuts....I always ask for milk for my tea and not cream....most places will accomodate that but they kind of look at you funny. :o)

Corn starch is the same as Corn flour Sid and used for thickening. Corn meal is just corn that has been dried and ground into a fine meal. Corn bread is made of this and is delish !! Especially with creamed corn mixed in or whole corn niblets. It's also lovely with sausage meat mixed in. Always must be eaten hot....never tried it with butter and syrup Weedy.

Speaking of the pigs......they eat pretty much anything.....I don't know if you have heard of the Robert Pickton pig farm....and the missing women?

I don't know about a Guiness cake...seems like a waste of good Guiness to me....I'll have to try it...I have a recipe for a fab cake make with tomato soup.....!!

~it is worth using the Guinness for!

You had to bring up
Robert Pickton..gaaaaa....that whole thing could give you nightmares and should.
I do know it was not a thing worth doing to fall down bleeding in a pig pen..they will eat each other if one bleeds...gross..they are true cannibals...
Ok nuff of that and I am glad to know how Canadian you are and how Yorshire you are Gilli...you are lovely in every way shape and form....
I am assuming your cold is better and you once again have an appetite and are ready to think of food again..lol...
I would use a Guiness in a heartbeat on a cake, a drunken chicken, beer sausages or bread...beer bread is great...used to sell a mix for it...good stuff..
What I would really like to find is the recipe for my mothers caramel icing...she made it from scratch...so there is no recipe that I know of...she would make a yellow cake in two round pans ..make a caramel fudge like icing and pour it over the cake in the middle and on top then smear it while still warm as it drizzled down the sides..when it cooled it was caramel fudge on the cake...O-M-G..it was so good...my favorite cake and icing ever..I need to experiment I guess..if anyone knows how this might be made...let me know. Oh...makes my mouth water to think of it...

slurp dribble lol

Oh that caramel cake does sound tasty! I think that the closest thing to what Arlene is using is called a country ham in the south and quite often is so salty you have to soak it overnight before cooking.

You are so right Weeds a family reference can make history so much more interesting. I remember my greatgrandmother talking about walking across north African with her parents to avoid the russian troops in the middle east and get to Morocco where they got on a ship to the US. This was about 1870's and I read once that the Russians expelled all the religious "fanatics" when they took over Azerbaijan.

~we use cornflour to thicken gravy and of course to make white sauce to have with Christmas pudding ~add either a good slug of brandy or rum!

~found this one Cat~you could adjust it to taste?
Use this caramel fudge frosting to ice spice cake, a jam cake, or similar cakes.
Ingredients:

* 3 cups packed light brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons corn syrup
* 3 tablespoons butter
* dash of salt
* 3/4 cup cream
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:
In large saucepan,combine ingredients and mix well to blend. Bring to a boil; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook to 238° on candy thermometer or until soft ball forms when dropped in cold water. Cool for 3 minutes. Beat until thick and spreadable. It should begin to lose its glossiness.

Spread on layers and over sides of cake.
As you frost the cake, the frosting might become too stiff. Add a little hot water whenever necessary to make it spreadable. Dip the spatula in hot water to smooth frosting out if needed.
Makes enough to frost 2 to 3 layers.

Thanks Arlene another great cake yum .. your recipes are great but Yorkshire divided regionally and we as close to Huddersfield as you are to London ! ( may be Reading then ) Well perhaps not quite but its over 70 miles from us .

~mm saw that on the other side on the map BB~ it's like Northumberland~ probably bigger~we are 210 miles to London are you that far from Huddersfield?
I did think you are so knowledgeable about Yorkshire that you would probably know the area even vaguely!
Apologies If I've put you on the spot!

Swansea to London is 210 miles ? well I go to the bottom of our stairs - yes we are that far if we go via Northumberland !

it's practically from one side to the other of the widest bit~thank god for the M4!
When we go up to Newcastle it's just under 400 miles~my kids invented "are we there yet!"

Oh, the tales that I could tell. A trip with my family... 6 of us in a station wagon... DC to LA, completely across the country... I was 10 at the time but I remember it very well! It took 3 weeks!

~good grief! would be white haired!~we are used to smaller distances and more traffic!

Oh Wohlibuhli couldnt believe that you had these monster V8 cars and speed limit only 55 ! When visited these miles of open road felt like forever at that speed ... oh how desperate was that car for me to put my foot down not like I was going to hit a pedestrian let alone see another car !

No wonder your car industry on its knees making such powerful cars that you cant use ..

~we used to travel to Newcastle overnight so that the kids could sleep and we have done it in 5 hours~mind it took 10 hours once in thick fog and I have never been more glad to see the Tyne Bridge!

Wohli, Bet I would have enjoyed talking to your Great Grandmother. What stories she must have had!

I don't like pigs. Got cornered by a huge sow. Haven't been fond of them since then. I do think I would like your "Ham ala Coca Cola," Arlene.
Kids now have video players in the back seat and everyone is strapped down not quite like the trips we used to take.

BB. Sorry you're not from around Huddersfield. Guess there's no chance that we might be distant relatives. LOL HeHe!

Cat, your caramel frosting sounds a little like what we used to drizzle on raw apple cake. It set up kind of like fudge.

Arlene.......I do believe this is the recipe...it sure sounds like it...I remember most of these ingredients now...wonderful..thank you so much..did you find it online? I have looked on line and have not found it...this is great and Weeds having it over apple cake would be really good I would think.
I cannot believe BB..that your speed limits are as fast as they are over there and you drive on the left hand side of the road...to boot!...OMG...that speed going down the wrong side of the road?...LOL...!!!
I know it is not wrong for you...LOL..couldn't resist...lol

Weedy....some of my lot come from around the Huddersfield area....pick a place in Yorkshire and I probably have ancestors from there...hahahaha.

That caramel fudge cake sounds wonderful Cj. Send me some when you make it....please???

Do you know, the strangest thing happens when I remember being in England or I have a dream about being in England....my mind has automatically switched the driving side of the road to the right in my memory.....If I went back I would certainly have trouble with the left hand side of the road.

BB ~ we have lower speed limits because there is always the danger of Kamikaze Moose or Deer or even cows leaping out in front of your car. Those moose can make a rather big dent if you're not looking. LOL

Tomato Soup Cake

1/3 cup butter
1 ½ cups flour
1 tin tomato soup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
1 cup sugar
Dissolve baking soda in soup. Cream butter and sugar, add soup. Add flour, spices and baking powder.

Bake in a greased loaf pan at 375 º for 1 hour.

This is great with a Cream Cheese frosting.... :o)

Your kidding Tomato soup..is it condensed or ready to eat? LOL..I cannot believe it..never heard of this one Gilli..! That is really something about the driving in your dreams...the speed limit here is lower to lower traffic accident deaths and to make it easier to give a speeding ticket...but I do believe on our back roads it helps to go a bit slower with all the deer jumping out...

~we do have lower speed limits off the main roads down to 20 and 30 in most city and rural areas but the speed limit is 70 on the motorways,can be 40 or 50 according to location~do you have a blanket 55?A lot of people drive slower to get more mpg as petrol is very expensive over here.

Gilli (and any other interested parties)

I was born and bred in West Yorkshire too a friend of mine put me on to this web site - stuff like my granny used to make - yum, proper stodge, puddings and other stuff - its the tastes that memories are made from!!
www.yorkshirerecipes.co.uk

Gilli...I'm gonna try your Tomato Soup Cake...it sounds very easy....can't wait to see what the taste is like.....Tomato Soup!

My Dad was originally from Sunderland and my Scottish Grandma used to make Cheese Dish. This was really easy but also tasty for a snack.

In a small dish grate mature cheddar or strong cheese
Add small amount of milk
Salt Pepper
Mustard

Place under the grill till it browns and bubbles, eat with crusty bread.

~we put slices of cheese on toast and then under the grill for a few minutes~slightly more bother but nice!

Cheese Dish sounds like a great thing to give the kids when they get home from school as a snack - they are always ravenous.

Ok..this is a gardening site so I have to ask...what do you like to eat when you come in from gardening...I like to have a cup of tea and toast with butter or peanut butter as a snack and then back at it...
my daughter makes cheese quesadillas for her girls..throw a soft tortilla in the a hot frying pan..no butter needed..just toss it in there add shredded cheese and anything else that might be good let the cheese melt and slide it out of the pan on to a plate and eat or roll it up and eat..
I like grainy toast with cheese better but her girls love the quesadilla's.
Here our speed limits are up to 75 mph in areas of long stretches of freeway...50-55 in high traffic areas and 20-35 in towns our rural roads are either 35-40-or 50 mph...to travel to visit Weeds who lives in my same state is a 7 hour trip..if I start out at 5:00 a.m. I can get to her house by noon..lol..and that is only stopping for maybe one bathroom break...I am far to the west side of the state and she is far to the east side...I have to cross the Cascade Mt.'s which includes a high snowy pass ( Snoqualmie Pass) and I will not go that direction in the winter..so only in the late spring will I even begin to think of it...then across plains, farming communitys and desert like areas before I get to her area with turns into a more rocky, low mountains and colorful area again. Usually completely different weather than anything I left at home on the West side of the state...

Gilli - it's hard to keep up isn't it! Yes - I remember well that strange look you get when you ask for milk in your tea in Canada....and asking for skimmed milk just resulted in sheer puzzlement! LOL

I wonder if Corn-flour products are heathier than wheat-flour? People do say that strong wheat flour is not too good for you....lots of people have wheat allergies....I wonder if corn flour is a good alternative for those people?

I haven't heard of the Robert Pickton pig farm, but I did read a novel last year....can't remember the author.....think it was called Flanagan's Book of Fish or something like that.....found it a bit impenetrable to begin with but had a good twist at the end involving a pig............. Also of course Thomas Harris' Hannible and the Sardinian piggies...... >:-D

Cat - your caramel cake does sound scrummy - but you've started NP off again - raincoats on, everyone....

Think my family history is a bit boring really.....my mum has the classic celtic olive-skinned look and is almost certainly decended from the celts that were pushed back into Wales by the Romans and as for my dad, he's fair-haired and has a name thought to be of Scandinavian origin, but the name is very common hereabouts and therefore been here a long long time, included in several place-names..... Nice to think tho that this is the area my distant ancestors farmed and lived and died in.....makes me feel very connected to these old hills :-)

Janey - in the days before chloresterol was invented we often had grilled cheese, usually with a tomato sliced over the top - haven't had that for years :-)

In case anyone is interested, I'm currently at work tucking into a SCRUMMY sweet potato and rosemary soup from the nice deli round the corner. And then for afters I've got one of their Chocolate Brownies.....ooooooo......they're SO GOOD! Slightly crisp over the surface and soft n gooey in the middle......oooooo and SOOOO SOOOOOO CHOCOLATEY ....... oooooooo ... ummmm......can't wait.......

Cat - chocolate-covered hob-nobs dipped in a mug of sweet tea x-)

i think if you stopped using or eating everything the goverment or syentists excuse my spelling told you was bad for you you would just starve to death.did you know bears do not have the capacity to be obese.they also keep there waste internaly for all the time they may hybernate .we cant possibly do this as we would be poisoned in know time .another bit of useless information lol take care bye for now.

Arlene, I've been playing with your multimap, it's way better than GoogleEarth. Thanks.

Sid, my granddaughter had an allergy to gluten in wheat flour but could eat corn meal products. Not my cornbread though because it has both corn meal and wheat flour. Okay Lady...DROP THE BROWNIE! Now just slide it over here and no one will get hurt!!! LOL
Seems like I read that the Vikings came to UK after the Romans. Your roots are very deep there... not so boring when you think of all that has gone on in all your generations!.

Mr. Weeds makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich which he serves with hot cocoa. He butters the outside of two slices bread and puts sliced cheese between, heats it in a skillet (butter side to the heat) till the bread is browned and the cheese is all melty.
One of my favorite cakes is what they used to call a Victory Cake that my mom made. Boiled raisin cake. Spicy, dark and heavy. No eggs, no butter, no milk.

Cat, you forgot to mention the wait at the ferry dock and the ferry ride. No wonder it takes you so long to get here and you have to drive so fast...it takes a long time to swim across the sound dragging your car! LOL

By the way Bonkers, our car companies are on their knees due to a greed problem not a speed problem. You don't even want to get me started on this subject.

Ok.. so from Seattle, Weeds..it is 5 hours...to you from Seattle..the 7 hours includes the ferry ..lol....Mr. Weeds makes grilled cheese the same as we do...and I still like a tomatoe slice with it if I think of it..like tomatoe and fried egg with mayo too..mmm..love mayo and tomatoe and Bacon too..Turkey, cranberry and bacon Sandwiches are something to relish after Thanksgiving...ummm...I even manage to eat them in the summer..lol..A lot of people use rice flour here for breads...I wonder if you use rice flour with the corn meal how that would work Weeds....what on earth is a Chocolate covered hob-nob Sarah????
Sometimes I think I should been have born a bear...they have it pretty good ...lol...eat all ya want and not gain weight..sleep while you have your children and they are taken care of through the infancy while you sleep..wow...you can wake up all growly and crazy and it is to be expected so everyone stays clear...hmmm..not bad.
I believe in staying as close to a refined flour and food diet as possible but mostly I believe in eating most anything in moderation and remembering to eat as healthy as possible and when I have a craving for sticky toffee pudding icecream..I have it but only once a month ...or..2...and I take an allergy pill and it is my evening meal...lol..so as to not add too many calories...so glad I do not have to be watched by my children anymore so I can act like a child when I want to now...lol

Mmmm....love the tortillas......the Spanish one with cooked sliced potatoes in is very tasty and filling..lovely with rocket and cherry tomatoes.
Tomato bread is great as a snack.......a baguette sliced in half and rubbed with garlic and tomato....yummy with slices of the tortilla!

I believe the speed limit in most of the US is back to 70 except in high traffic areas, and a lot of us didn't think much about gas prices until just recently, I can excuse myself from that because I prefer a small therefore more fuel efficient car.
Most areas of the country are known for their driving quirks, around here everybody drives too fast.. speed limit 55.... let's go 85! In Texas they change multi-lanes at the same time....I have seen people get on to a 4 lane interstate highway and go all the way across 4 lanes at once!

I've heard of this tomato soup cake but have never tried it, just may have to. All these sandwiches sound great but the absolute best sandwich known to mankind is the one my friend in California makes. She grows Avocados and makes a Avocado, Bacon and Onion sandwich with Mayo! Absolutely food of the gods!

Sid- OMG Sweet potato and rosemary soup! I am gonna have to find a recipe for that!!!

Now Wohli..this is on my list ...I love Avocado's and will be trying this sandwich for sure...Avies are high in fat etc..but are packed with good cholesterol...they make things nice and slippery so they are a health food..I eat a half of one almost everyday if they are on sale...love em..with fruit salads too...Scrambled eggs, and pine nuts cooked together and avocado and tomatoes tossed on at the last with a little bit of salsa & sour cream..OMG...now that is so good for breakfast...love to eat them with Hamburgers and no buns just burger and avocado...little onion and tomatoe small side of cottage cheese...or melt blue cheese on Hamburger...that is yummers too...oh dear..I am have steak and veggies for dinner tonight...out of av's will have to settle for broccoli -n- cauliflower.

Just an update on the Chocolate Brownie situation - oh my it is yummy! It is one of the SQUELCHIEST brownies I've had from the deli....oooo it's gone everywhere......lick....slurp.....don't think they've cooked them enough - it's like lovely melty cake mix inside...fine by me....slurpy, slurpy....better check myself in the mirror before anyone sees me.....

Weeds - yeah my dad's lot came across raping and pillaging and generally being very unruly and upsetting the locals. SO, not much has changed there then......

NP - I bet bears would be obese if they had access to these Chocolate Brownies.....ohhh yummers.....

Now how did that happen - in the time it's taken me to write the above, FIVE more messages have appeared. :-S

Cat - a chocolate-covered Hob Nob is a type of biscuit - cookie - it is quite oaty and nutty and makes me cough a little, but they are seriously moreish. With milk chocolate on top, even more so!

Avacados - GACK! Will have to comment more fully on those another time as it is 5:00 and I'm going home - Yee-Haw! as Cat would say ;-) he he he...

I made some chocolate no bake cookies the other night...he-he-he-they have oats in them so they are a health food...he-he-he-he...been keepin em all to my self...he-he-he-he...tucked up in the pan cuboard..he-he-..none for Larry...he-he-he....chocolate's a health food too..he-he- good fer yer heart...he-he-he

Hmmm - all this he-he-he-ing...makes me think there might be a certain herbal ingredient in your cookies Cat.....(oh hush my mouth before I get flagged!) How are they 'no bake'? Yes, health food - indeed! Of course! Couldn't agree more! Poor Larry-cat - if he wants some he should have some! But I know lovely Larry has more refined tastes and does not care for Human Food. ;-)

Right. Avacados. What can I say about that particular mouldy sausage on the plate of life? I have tried avacados twice in my life. The first time I could barely swallow the stuff. Then a jug of dressing appeared and I thought. "A'ha! That's what this stuff is missing - something to pour over it to hide the taste if not the texture!" I poured it on and it made it taste even worse! But people have told me they love this strange fruit, so I came to think that maybe I had just got a bad one. SO, I tried avacado a second time. With the same result. GACK! They have the texture of a bar of soap that has been left lying at the bottom of a full bath tub over night. They taste the way I image soap to taste. Send it away!

Nope...it is not anything but butter, milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, pinch of salt....and oatmeal....cook all but the cocoa powder til it boils let it boil for 3 minutes add cocoa powder...stir til dissolved...remove from heat at oatmeal...stir good..dip out by tablespoon fulls on to parchment or wax paper and let harden..you have chocolate no bake cookies..have eaten them since I was a youngen..lol..fudge like...
Now this problem with avocado's ..it is too bad...but then..if we were at a table of them together...all I can say...MORE FOR ME!!!! Yay!!!...I love em...and my dog Phoebe will take them over steak!..she is as bad as NP dribbling ..she loves the skins too..LOL....of course she likes to find shrimp on the beach to eat too..she is a refined dog you know... I did not think they were anything special until a friend introduced them to me with doritos chips and a beer...you have to ride on the back of a Harley you see...with someone who is trying to help you through a very hard time..this was about 22 years ago....he says what you need is a motorcycle ride...I sniff and say ok...so after work..he was my bosses husband by the way...he pulls up on his Harley...as we ride he asks me if I want to go faster..he tells me I am in control...I tell him faster..he goes faster..I tell him slower he goes slower...we went fast a lot if I remember right...we rode to a destination over looking the water...then this friend pulls out a huge avocado, chips and two beers..he slices the avocado in half hands me a half stabs the big seed and tosses it across the field dramatically..lol..and shows me how to scrape the meat of the avocado out with the chip..then as I ate I talked and sorted out life and I washed it all down with a beer..That is how I learned to love them and have never ever disliked them...lol..still like to eat them that way...good thinking food..and it reminds me to let go. He asked me that day about the things that I was upset about..I told him each one...he said..can you do anything about it..If I said no..he would say ..then let it go, don't waste your time on it..If I said yes..then he said well then whats stopping you?
Avocado's give me perspective...yep ...Avocado's the food of the Gods...good thoughtful, thinking food...Too bad Sarah..all mine...then...LOL

Cat, You can have my avocadoes too. I agree with Sid. Gack! Guacamole is slightly edible if it doesn't have those disgusting avocado feeling lumps in it. Maybe it's the lack of the friend on the Harley that keeps me from understanding how anyone can put them in their mouth.
No Bakes are so good! Yum!

LOL..I didn't know you didn't like avocados..Sisty?...Your brother loved them..lol...how about artichokes?.. you like those if I remember right..didn't you and Mr. eat artichokes and crab with us one night when you visited..?
Yea no bake cookies are so good..I remember when my Auntie Dorothy made them the first time and they were discovered by our whole family...lol..mom made them often..they were easy and then I made then for my children and now ..I made some for me..lol..They seem to be all gone...guess I didn't make a big enough batch... :(

and if your a bear you miss the winter xmas etc cat lol is this the longest blog or what lol

NP there have been a few Christmases I would have liked to have slept through..LOL...but I would not want to miss the lights and the change into winter and the birds who come to eat and the winter food..we do have some really good winter food to keep us through the darker colder days..yum...oh and the way the bark looks on bare trees..like getting to see their structure..yes seeems to be super long..and it isn't even a blog...lol...just a picture Sid did for Gardengnome..lol..art, food, gardening..hmmm..seems to all go together quite well...

Artichokes are semi-okay. Nosey says they're thistles. I've got to get off this food thing, Everytime someone mentions something good I head for the kitchen! LOL.

Made No Bakes? lol..Weeds?....lol...

and yes NP they are a part of the thistle family that can be eaten...I like em..lol..does that make me
thistle - bristle like? lol..

Avacados are an aquired taste I think. I like them in guacamole with nachos and salsa and melted cheese all over....ymmmm. But, I'm not so keen on them just by themselves.
Sid ~ If you google Robert Pickton I'm sure you'll find lots of information on our notorious serial killer.
Ducky ~ Yay for West Yorkshire folk. :o) Thanks for the link to the recipes. I'm going to have a lovely cruise around there in a bit.
Cat ~ You will have to try Tomato Soup cake. It is yummy and spicy and sweet....a bit like carrot cake. And you use a tin of condensed soup...not ready to eat. While gardening in the summer I will stop for a nice fruit cider...my favourite is Ruby Red Grapefruit Cider from Growers....you can't get fruit ciders down there...I also like the apple and lime cider. In the spring and fall...definitely a cup of tea and toast with either peanut butter or cheese.
My maiden name is Danby which is a very Yorkshire name. Someone once told me that it meant "By Dane" which would mean my line goes back to the time when the Danes invaded England.????
NP ~ You're right. If you listened to everything they tell you is bad for you then you would certainly starve to death!! Besides, I heard recently that ANY alcohol can increase a womans chance of getting cancer enormously. After I heard that, well, I just stopped listening.....I guess I'll just die before my time. Hee hee hee.
Cat ~ if it takes 5 hours from Seattle to Weedy's house then Weedy must live about the same distance from you as I am from Vancouver. You have the Snoquami pass, we have the Coquihalla pass....I agree...definitely one to avoid in the winter, although I have to drive it on Friday to take Emily to see her Dad. He is meeting me at the very top of the pass.
Weedy ~ where are you in Washington?? Do you have the same terrain as around Kamloops or are you more like Revelstoke area?
Oh gosh....look at the time.....11:00 am and I've got nothing done so far today.... I really have to get on.....housework is calling....yuck...maybe I'll go and plant some more seeds instead.....or bake some cookies....hmmmm chocolate chip and toffee bits sounds good....or I should make a banana loaf as there are 9,000 bananas in the freezer waiting to be used up.

lol weeds .i think life does overlap like that cat.you grow food in your garden.you see gardens on tv.computers.all in the same mix.makes us what we are i guess.id try artichoke but i grow it for the brilliant blue colour flower.now i herd that a small glass of wine a day is good for you.just a load of old twonk if you ask me anyway who wants to spend 100 years staying of everything and keeping fit whjen you can have a little fun and live till your 80 lol if ya lucky lol .theres some lovley stunningly beautifull bits of winter but id rather swap winter for my summer sleep and look at other peoples pictures of winter lol

I learned from my grandmother to toss in some chocolate chips with the banana's Gilli..I also toss in besides the chocolate chips a very few butterscotch type too..it gives is a little something that you just cannot quite figure out why it is different but good...my family gobbles it when I make it this way..
Weed's lives almost due south of you..when we used to travel to Canada we always went up and into Kelowna..from Custard Washington..which is close to Republic Washington which is north of Weeds in Spokane. It was, by the way, around 0 degrees there this morning...how are you handling out late winter?..Seems to be coming from your area..why not turn the heat up Gilli?..come on...!

you dont have to do something some times gilli just chill lol

Gilli, I live in Spokane. Not sure about your terrain, we have a little of everything. South - wheat fields, East - rugged tree covered mountains, North - apple and cherry orhards. West - bald sagebrushy rangeland.
CJ do you mean Oroville or Curlew just south of the border? I don't remember a Custard up there but I understand how your mind works.LOL

My Mom's ancestors are Sykes (or Sikes here.) General concensus is that they started around Slaithwaite or Flockton. Can't find any real record of them coming here or being there. The first record I have was 1719 in North Carolina. Probably dropped out of an alien star ship. :-)

Chocolate chips are good in zucchini bread too.

NP I've given up trying to keep up with what's bad for me. It changes like technology...daily. One of Mr. Weed's friend's doctors finally told him, "If it tastes good spit it out!"

Sometimes its nice to just "chill" NP but this is getting a bit ridiculous. It was -25C (-13F) here this morning Cat.......I'm blaming Greenthumbs. I think he's sending his Arctic Alaska weather down this way.

NP ~ apparently if you are male then a glass of red wine a day is good for your heart....however, the women get shafted again....Any alcohol is bad for women.

Cat ~ I usually add choco chips to my banana loaf. The kids like it that way...I don't eat it....I can't stand bananas.

Oh, Spokane!! Then you are a little further east of us. Our terrain is sagebrush and ponderosa pines. East and west of us a rugged tree covered mountains and south are apple and fruit orchards. North are more ruggard tree covered mountains...LOL.

Weedy ~ Sykes is a Yorkshire name too, as far as I know. From around the Hudderfield area.

LOL..Weeds..I meant Custer Washington..Custard on the brain you know..but what I really meant was Curlew..LOL...we would camp at Curlew Lake for a day or two and then head up to Canada...LOL..
What I really like Gilli, is pumpkin bread made with fresh pumpkin and a few white chocolate chips tossed in..now that is very yummy...
Forget the boring ole banana bread..lol..if banana's didn't spoil so fast I would never bother..lol
My English realtives were Wheelers....I have a family tree somewhere..but with my moving things etc..cannot find it..if I could, I could tell you where they were from.
Yes it was around 26 here this morning..cold enough..now they are talking like we could get a pineapple express of rain next week..so watch out Gilli...you may get a fast melt down..do you get flooding?

Only flooding when the ground is still frozen and the water can't be absorbed. We are on a bit of a hill so water just drains down to the river about a block away. Kamloops city can flood if the river gets high enough. It's been known to happen.
Pumpkin loaf is awsome but I've never tried it with white choco chips....Sounds fab.
I know where Custer is.....have some old family friends there. I've never been to Curlew. I can well understand your Custard fixation. Hee hee hee.

i agree ive never botherd lol.i eat what i fancy .i couldnt eat healthaly it cost to much and i hate most of it lol .you better keep of the wine gilli your right .ill help you if you send any booze to me ill insure we bothe stay healthy lol.custers at little big horn isnt he lol.you must be fairly lmt with your planting when its that cold.i do wonder gilli how they did a life long test on men woman etc to bck up this glass of wine theory ?

I don't know NP.....I was wondering that myself......Maybe they sent hit men out to shorten the study.
Not a chance about the wine NP....I plan on dying young....LOL.

nice one jilly lolme to lol.truthe be known i hate red wine especialy dry and ive stopped drinking lol.sending a hit man out is probably the only thing that is true.lady diana didnt just crash thats rubbish so who realy is safe wirthout even thinking about what food mite or mie not do to you.take care gilli bye for now

Cat - ooooo - the no-bake thingies sound delish...hmmmm...fudgy..... Oh, and you've got a place called Custard and you can't get custard there? What's all that about?! madness.....

A lady I worked with for a while was from Canada and when she came back from visiting her family once she brought back some delishious bickies....they had a strange name and I can't remember what they were called....they were sweet and cinnamony....does anyone know what they were? Think she bought them from the Almish (spelling?) folks....

I've never treid an artichoke....I've got a cardoon in my garden, is that the same thing?

Gilli - what you doin' with 9000 bananas in your freezer? I never knew you could freeze a 'nana - don't they go all black 'n mushy? :-P

Weeds - what on earth is 'zucchini bread'?! A zucchini is an immature marrow, right? We call them courgettes over here. But how on earth you would go about making bread out of them................................

NP - LOL - yes, Custard's at the Little Bighorn. Or is he at the OK Correll? And why is there always a box canyon in those films?! My dad loves westerns - I grew up on them. I grew up thinking all American towns consisted a Saloon (with double doors of course), a brothel and a livery stable LOL x-D There's gold in them there hills! x-D Oh, I'm sorry, I'm gone.........ha ha ha...........................

Hmmm! Sweet and cinnamony.... made by the Amish... sounds like "snickerdoodles" and no I have no idea how they got that name.
Zucchini bread is like banana or pumpkin bread except you use shredded squash. It's basicly a spice cake with the fruit or veg for added moisture and flavor, like carrot cake... do you have that in UK?

~yes we do!A very posh furniture store in Cardiff does carrot cake in their coffee shop to their own recipe~it is the best there is!~have tried it everywhere but nothing is as nice!

A really good carrot cake can be an experience, does it have cream cheese frosting?.... Yum! It's the best.
Cakes have always been something I like to make and I have a lot of different recipes. But the best cake I have ever had was a Black Forest Cake at a deli in Pittsburgh PA. OMG chocolate and cherries and cream frosting ....drool... I have never managed to duplicate it. and unfortunately have never been back to Pittsburgh. : (

john wayne was the man i still watch his films.

LOL..a lot of men do NP..he used to keep his boat here not 20 minutes from where I live..They call it the John Wayne Marina and the little restaruant there has all sorts of movie paraphenalia up all over...and no Custard was not at the Little Big Horn..But Custer was...LOL..
I do not drink wine at all..sulfites kill my head...not worth it.
What about cinnamon rolls do you make them over there?

Cat, Gilli, Didn't find any Danbys or Wheelers in my family tree. Probably shows good judgement on the part of your ancestors. LOL

NP I grew up with western movies too. Still love them. The town where I grew up was a gold mining town but they celebrated a lot with cowboy rodeos. I remember once when a guy on a horse came up the street and rode his horse right into the tavern. Guess when a guy needs a beer...he needs a beer!

Yes, zucchini bread is like banana bread without the banana flavor. Delicious toasted with butter for breakfast. Love carrot cake. Zucchini and summer squash are served sliced a lot here at restaurants in mixed veggies.

Gilli, did they say how much alcohol was too much? :-) Wonder what it does to women that it doesn't do to men?
Cat, Don't drink red wine either. I get sulfite headaches, too. I do like Sangiovese. White wine doesn't affect me. The amount of wine I drink...I'll be long dead from the ravages of time before the wine gets me. LOL

Weedy....I have Sykes attached to my tree....maybe we're related. LOL

They said ANY alcohol....as in 1 drink...as in 1/2 a drink....as in a taste....Like, don't have ANYthing. Personally, I think it is all a plot.

Sid ~ I always freeze my bananas when they get over ripe and I don't have time to make a loaf. Yes, they go black but that is just the skin....they are nicely gishy when defrosted and perfect for banana loaf. It is a great way to save them.....just toss them in with their skins on...don't have to wrap them or put them into bags etc.

Zucchini loaf is wonderful, especially zucchini and pineapple loaf. yummy. What we call zucchini is usually a full grown marrow type thingy. I think courgettes are the same....Zucchini can grow extremely big and produce fruit like crazy....Zucchini loaf is one way of doing something with the excess as zucchini doesn't freeze or can very well.

HA....Gilli I used to peel Zucchini and cut it up in to chunks and freeze it all the time..worked great to shred and freeze too..you can put it in soups and lots of stuff....

did john wayne live there then cat.sounds realy interesting.he only had tiny feet apparently hence walking like that.miss a beer weeds the hell i will lol.

No he did not live there NP but he did holiday there in his yacht..the Wild Goose...he funded the building of the marina because he wanted a place for his yacht to moor...
He did walk a bit odd...never thought about what size his feet were though...I have seen about all the John Wayne movies I care too...over and over again...lol...
Wanting to go buy brown sugar..have that caramel icing on the brain ...lol..what to put it on is next...lol...

Oh bum - I typed a load and pressed the wrong button and it's gone.....tsk.

Sid~sometimes if you use the back button straightaway you can get it and apparently there is a combination on a mac which is equivalent to 'undo last command' which my son told me about which has saved my bacon a few times!

you learn something everyday dont ya cat lol.not the brown sugar from mick jaggers song i hope lol .i guess you better get typing sid lol.i hate it when that happens and thanx for the tip arlene

I have had that happen too,,but the worst is here...it is totally gone it seems if you forget and go the wrong direction...pc's have that option in some things but this site does not seem to have it available...sorry Sid...bet it was good stuff too...ummm..no..NP..this is in a little cardboard container...that says C&H golden brown sugar.......I thought you were busy cementing something....

Gilli I'm beginning to wonder if this alcohol thing was "thunk" up by a man. Something suspicious here. LOL.

Chocolate zucchini bread with chocolate chips...kind of like a brownie, only it has the redeeming "something healthy and green" in it. Best of two worlds! Yum!

Gilli, Was the Sykes in your family tree from England or Canada? I don't have any real records in England, but I think John Sykes is the guy that came over to (probably) Virginia before 1719 and started our line in North Carolina. Guess we're all ultimately related.

Sid, Arlene, Might be Command Z to undo on the Mac. Been a while since I was working on a Mac all the time, so it's hard to remember. Changed to PC when I stopped graphic design and started bookkeeping. Loved the Mac. Much more user friendly.

NP, Aways got a laugh out of the way John Wayne walked. Maybe his feet weren't a little as you think...Maybe his boots were hurting his feet. LOL

you're so right~I use a pc at work and macs at home and I am forever thinking damn why can't I do that at work!
I think you are right about the command apple and z too!
My son works on macs all day using photo manipulation,computer aided design etc where before he used to draw everything using pastels colour pencils etc~such a shame!

Paula do you think the Dukes feet hurt him all the time..?...lol..
I started messing around with my simple little paint program and had fun with it..lol...I can see how using computers can be good..sure not a problem to erase and undo..lol...
Arlene I have never really used a mac for graphics...All I have used are my pc's over the years...my daughter will not touch my pc's she dislike them intensly..lol..she learned on a mac...
Arlene..I bought a box of brn sugar..caramel icing here I come...lol...thanks again for that recipe..I know it is the right one..

I always thought JW walked that way because his boots were too small and cramping his toes. LOL.

I've never used a Mac. I've always been on PC's....even at work the computers were PCs. I have heard that Mac's are better for Graphic design though.

Weedy ~ the Sykes in my tree all married in and not that far back....about the mid 1800's in the Dewsbury, Batley area. I have Sykes marrying Inesons mostly.

Cat ~ you are right....you can freeze zucchini for use in cooking but what I meant was that it goes mushy when you freeze it. You can't bring it out and have it look the same as in peas or carrots etc. Send some of that Caramel icing up this way.....please......pretty please with brown sugar on it.??

I got no Sykes that I know of...maybe though...wasn't Jessie James tied to the Sykes some how..he's a cousin...on my mom's side...nice huh...I'm not surprised..of course I have heard my mom talk about it since I learned how to hear...lol....
Gilli have not made the icing yet...got Cadbury Bars ..they are a gift..mmmmm..eat mmmming,,,chocolate n caramel..so good...ummm yumm

CJ, Never could find Jessie James in any of our family tree, closest I could come is that someone in the family knew him and his brothers. They tried to say he was related by marriage distantly to our family but didn't find that kind of a connection.

I've gained three or four pounds since I started this thread.
:-(((( but they're very attractive pounds!

At school we had a scary English teacher called Sykes - we used to call her Syke-o-path LOL Think she eventually got the sack for swearing at the kids................

Arlene - don't know what I did. Tsk. I use PCs at work and home. Used a Mac yonks ago tho.

Wohli - Yes! Snickerdoodles! They were scrummy :-)

Gilli - re the zucchini/marrow/courgette thingy - over here a courgette is a small, immature marrow - about 6" long usually and we eat them sliced. Marrows (the full grown 'fruit') are hardly ever used - you won't find a marrow in a supermarket here, but you will find the immature courgettes. So a zucchini is a full sized marrow is it? That's interesting....... I grow courgettes (pronounced cor-jet with a soft j) if they turn into marrows I toss them on the compo heap......never occured to me to make bread out of them LOL

Snickerdoodles are an all American cookie...we love them here...I even made a snickerdoodle latte...with my own mixture of cinnamon and vanilla syrups..it is a yummy one...top seller in the winter... months next to the Mud Cat Mocha...
Now Sarah..this business of throwing out full grown zucchini has got to stop!..We rarely would find it in our grocers either..I certainly would not go looking for it there...so many people are giving them away...all you have to do is say..you want some..and you will have a box full..lol...as I do not have a garden right now...I would buy the small marrows as you call them...I love them sliced length wise, oiled, seasoned and fried or grilled, so yummy that way..I also put them in soups and casseroles...but you can do the same with the big ones just on a different scale...lots of meat there...
Ok.. everyone over here...get out your recipes for zucchini breads, cookies , cakes etc..so this wastage in the motherland can be stopped...! Goodness...children go away for a few centuries and look what happens...zucchini's on compost heaps..it is just wrong! sorry I have packed mine away...it is up to Gilli and Paula...I apologise really...sorry...very nice moist breads etc...you are missing out...

Recipes! I need recipes!

Please can I have a recipe for snickerdoodles and a recipe for zucchini bread. Sounds like the full grown marrows are quite sort after over there - I'm surprised really. I don't know why we don't use them..... I always believed that marrows were bland and boring and that courgettes were tastier, but then I've never tried marrow........perhaps it's a 'popular misconception' hmmmm......a kind of mass delusion even..... Think some people have stuffed marrow - you scoop out most of the inside and replace it with minced beef I think.....never tried that either tho.....

Sid, Syke-o-path. LOL. Can't be any relation of mine...My Sikes don't swear... now the other side of the family is a whole different story!

I'll pull out my recipes and send you a couple. It'll take a bit.

maybe weeds lol only messin cat lol and yes i am centing ponds looking well a bit like a pond i guess lol.ive got something in commen with john wayne i have size 6 feet to and small hands.hope your all good bye for now.3 pounds you say weeds , i actualy dont know anymore as i cant get through the door to weigh myself lol and i fear if i could the scales only go to 20 stone so be pointless anyway.not realy as you probably guessed lol.

Np..I do not believe for a minute you weigh over 20 stone..that is just silly...are you going to do a blog on your pond work soon?...curious to see it....

Have you ever used spaghetti squash Sarah for a pasta substitue? I love it...
Not sure where your woprd marrow comes from..we call everything in that family squash...lots of different kinds of squash..but still squash....lol...marrow sounds so much more civilized....lol

Cat - last night I tried your recipe for salmon with the honey etc....it was yummy! Will be doing that one again :-) Tho dare say it is even better with just-landed wild salmon - ours is virtually all farmed in Scotland....

The term 'squash' is actually fairly new over here I believe.....pumpkins and courgettes were about all you could get of that family in supermarkets up until , say, about 15 years ago I suppose....and pumpkins were only available around holloween (always the smooth orange sort) - I know they are much more popular over in your part of the world. Actually, I've always hated pumpkin, but, you know my sister lives in Thailand, well pumpkin is very popular out there and when I visit her she serves roasted pumpkin and it's REALLY NICE! I love it! Think it must be a different variety to the ones they sell over here - has nobbly green skin. SO, I've been on the phone and sis' has instructions to get some seeds for me next time they have pumpkin :-) You can get butternut squash these days too and also also little gem pumpkins, we the Brits are slowly catching on to sqaushes! I've heard of spaghetti squash, but never seen it - give it another 15 years... lol Tried growing buternut squash last year, but it was too wet and cold for them and they didn't survive :-(

Now, I did a quick google to try and find a picture of a marrow for you and found this site:-

www.barleymowbonsall.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=1724

Do have a look - it's hilarious - and just goes to show we'll do just about anything with a marrow over here except eat it! LOL

im only as you say yankin your chain cat lol i way about 170 pounds lol

Okay Sid....here is a zucchini and pineapple loaf recipe.....

2 cups flour (not self-raising)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup of cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
14 oz can of crushed pineapple
1 cup grated unpeeled zucchini

mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Combine the next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the pineapple and zucchini to the moist ingredients and mix well. Add the moist ingredients to the well in the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Do not over mix. Spread in a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350F for about 1 hour or until wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 10 min then remove to a wire rack to cool.

While I was looking for my zucchini loat recipe I also found this one that I haven't tried yet but looks great.....

Zucchini Parmesan Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 large eggs
1 & 1/2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
3/4 cup buttermilk or soured milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

Measure the first 8 ingredients into a large bowl. Stir and make a well in the centre. Combine the next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add to the well in the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 375F for about 20 minutes.

Both of these sound delish Gilli..I need to copy these to my recipe folders...

Oh, thanks Gilli :-) The Zucchini parmesan muffins sound interesting (I'm still a bit suspicieous of this using courgettes in baking lark, but I'll give it a go when my veggie patch does its thing!) HOWEVER, unfortunately, I have a real 'thing' about pineapple - absolutely can't stand it! It goes beyond not liking - I really can't bear it.... Would the recipe still work if I just left out the pineapple?

How would you eat zucchini bread? What would you eat it with? Would you toast it? Curiouser and curiouser....

Yawn....oh I'm tired.....dug over the veggie plot, raked it all over, planted onions, broad beans, peas, lettuce seeds, built wigwam ready for the runner beans, pruned this, repotted that, weeded over there ......... yaaaaawwwwnnnn........ and one of my fish has developed a list. Yes, that's a LIST folks, not a lisp lol

that list if its a goldfish type is reasnably normal ish sid.touch it with something gently and see if it swims away like theres nothing wrong.my mums shabunkin is doing that near the surface.im not saying it couldnt be something worse but its probably ok.i have 2 real fancy goldfish in my pond.there sposed to stay indoors bye the way.you know the ones that are realy tubby with about 3 tails.they overwinter upside down but there fine now.you got to remember water doesnt heat up as quick as air so its still winter in your pond

Oh dear Sid....A listing fish....hmmmm....perhaps you'll have to put your pond on a slant to match the fish. You've been busy out there in the garden. No wonder you're tired.
NP ~ your fish spend the winter upside down??? Weird !! Maybe they are dreaming of spending the winter in Australia.?? LOL

Sid you just slice the loaf and either eat it plain or you can butter it. I've never tried toasting it. The consistancy is like a carrot loaf....very moist....not sure how it would toast. You can have it with fruit or custard for dessert. Whatever you want. Here is a plain Zucchini Loaf recipe.....

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla. Stir in zucchini and nuts (if using). Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Do not overmix. Scrape into a greased 1.5 litre loaf pan.
Bake in centre of oven at 350F for 1 hour or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack; let cool completely.
You can stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with the nuts or instead of the nuts if you like.

very good gilli lol only 2 do as they shouldnt realy be in a pond but they dont seam to suffer at all for it.if sid slopes his pond enough he can ski on it lol

LOL Sid is not a his NP....I think we have got back to the hermaphrodite thing again...lol...What ever happened to the good old days when we we talked about Custard...not Custer...Custard...that creamy stuff you all over there use like we use whip cream or ice cream over here...awww thats ok...suppose we have spent all our knowledge on that one...lol...but tilting ponds so hermaphrodites fish can ski on it ...I just don't know where this might lead...

its scary cat lol
i got a brain like a sieve sorry sid
again

Sid, You may get a hybrid squash if you use hand-me-down squash seeds. Sometimes if the plants are growing in the same area they cross-pollinate from one variety of squash to another so the seeds for the following year will mutate. My daughter-in-law got some kind of weird hubbard-zucchini or zucchini-gourd cross two years ago.

NP are you telling stories about the size of your feet and hands too? I'm beginning to question everything you say. LOL Can fish really ski? We'd better talk to TT about that for her Wellie Olympics!

Gilli I do toast my zucchini bread and put butter on it for coffee break or breakfast. Might be a firmer recipe than yours.

i cant weeds ive got little feet and hands that perticuler story wouldnt realy do me any favers lol

I am a female Sid and my cat is a female Birtie. We have a lot of gender confusion in our house, but at least my fish are generally the right way up, which is more than can be said of NP's. (apology accepted BTW ;-) )

My mum's hard of hearing and I told her that my fish had developed a list. She looked at me with that familier old look of confusion and dissapointment and asked, 'your fish has developed a limp?'. So, I said, 'No, my fish has not developed a limp, mum, but is having some serious trouble riding his bicycle'. Most of our conversations end up like this these days.....

Gilli - it sounds like zucchini loaf is a sweet thing then? You'd eat it with custard? Mmmmmm.....cuuuuustard......sweeeet, sweeet cuuuuustard.....slurp...

I've had a strange day. After taking mum out for dinner, made a quicky visit to a garden centre for some oxygenating pond weed (as the stuff in my pond was looking a bit ropey and I thought maybe my listing fish would appreciate it). When I got home, I decided to do a proper job of it and netted the fish and put them in a waterbut for a brief holiday. Netted around the bottom of the pond - I didn't think i'd find much gunk down there as the pond is only 1 year old. How wrong could I be. Netted out a foul mixture of gunk, a dead frog, various frog-parts, frog spawn and several large dead slugs. Not nice. Then had to try and extracate the frogspawn from the gunk using a table spoon, with the notion in my head that each egg I saved equalled a slug-destroying new life. Ugh.

thanx sid i am male after all give me a break lol
it could of bean worse your mum mite have thaught your fish had bean drinking alcohol lol if you know what i mean.get this sid slugs and snails seam to and i prommis im not going mad get to know wear the pond is as they only fall into new ish ponds strangley enough

No probs NP ;-)

Slugs are crafty blighters aint they......

When I was a little 'un, I had a sick goldfish so my Mum, in her wisdom, put a drop of brandy in the fish bowl......the fish swam around with his nose pointing upwards and tail down, for an hour or two. Suprisingly, he was a lot better after than and lived to tell the tale....!! LOL

Oh Lord that is what mine tend to do right before they drop dead.....sounds if he was lucky to live through it..!

there normaly gasping for oxygen when there like that cat or very ill.i realised that siders can tell whats in there web let alone just know theyve caught something.if you throw a fly in a spider web they just run over and bight it.if how erver you throw an earwig in there a bit more carefull and rap it up first.quite a fete with the sense of touch.i even realised that plants have the sense of touch.my grape vine when it moves uses them tenderills if thats the name to rap round things.now if they rap round a foriegn object including plants they hold realy tight .if they grab part of themselves its quite a gentle hold but if they grab nothing they wither to nothing.how could that be if they couldnt feal ?

"Siders"? For a moment there I thought NP had invented a new term of endearment for me ;-) Then I read further and found out NP has been throwing hapless wildlife into spider webs :-S To top it all off, I now have an image of NP's grape vine in my head with its tendrills wrapped around Panasonic TVs, teapots with "made in China" printed on the bottom and Indonesian pairs of jeans. In fact, when you think about it, just about everything is a foreign object in the UK these days............

My fish seem to be happier. No brandy needed. And just think what my new neighbours would think if they saw me out there pouring brandy into the fish pond? I'm trying hard to creat an impression of near-normality here - you're not helping folks!

anyway, I'm rambing and the cat wants something................

Well I for one have never thrown anything in a siders web....now ant hills are a whole other thing..that is far too much of a temptation ...well not anymore but as achild to feel like such the giant and to be able to make those poor little ants run and scream and grab their babies..oh dear ...I was a monster....but back to the drunken swimming fish...gasping for air..poor things...my fish were ill and I was able to save them a few times..Berta is the only one left...and she is quite a bossy thing...so far..no nose up nice and level or nose down hunting for food...my pond fish seem fine...no one up at the surface gulping for air there either...just hanging in the bottom right now..wiggling a fin here and there...
I thought the idea of your grape vines clingin with feelin Np was very sensitive and I liked the insight...had not noticed that so mush...certainly shows intelligence...

im a little tea pot short and stout lol shux thanx cat

You sang that song too? My Mom taught it to me and it was one of my favorites....lol...I meant that you were showing sensitivity and I liked the insight and that the plant seemed to have intelligence..not that you are not intelligent of course NP...but you get what I was saying don't ya? huh? ummm..and you are Welcome...lol...

ofcourse i do cat lol. do you need inteliigence to be able to have the sense of touch ? i guess so to a degree.anyway take care bye for now

Keep digging Cat...... lol

Huh.....How did we get from custard to spiders??? I have thrown things in spiders webs......grasshoppers (you have to be careful how you put them in the web as they can escape before the spider wraps them up)....earwigs....nasty beetles that are eating my flowers....cabbage loopers and sawfly larva.......my spiders are very well fed....hee hee hee.

i like spiders because they eat flies even though they have there place

I don't like spiders - they give my the screaming heeby-jeebies.......I'd rather be knee-deep in flies than knee-deep in eight-leggers :-S

I wonder if spiders like custard?

NP - did you see my last blog - Fatal Attraction?

no ill have a look sid at least spiders wont vommit there last dinner on the custerd lol

Eeeewwwwwwwwww :-P

lol true none the less lol

Yep!! Isn't that disgusting?? Flies are disgusting. Yuck!!
Yesterday, I pigged out on a double layer, raspberry and white chocolate sponge cake.....Ohhhh....it was soooooo yummy. I could have eaten the whole cake myself....but I didn't....really....I didn't..... :o)

OOooooooooooo - that sounds sooooo goooood Gilli...... When I took my mum out for dinner on mothers day, I had for desert this chocolaty thing....actually, not sure what you'd call it......but it was layers of chocolate sponge with layers of chocolate moussey stuff and coated in a thick, thick layer of chocolatey gooy stuff and with a big dollop of thick cream on top........ drool..... oooooo..... chocolaty........... mmmmmmmmm......

Ok...now that does it..I am sittin ghere covered in reddish colored paint...my laptop has just been diagnosed as not saveable..can hopefully extract info from my hard drive..and you start talking about raspberry & white chocolate and chocolatey cake...I will now have to go to the grocery or something to get either ice cream or something chocolate or just sit with a bbox of brown sugar and eat it by the spoonful...comfort food..I have been struggling through it but it is over...I surrender..I am lost...and the thing about flies...gross...again I will remind you that a fly is only a couple of chromosones from being us...lol...oh my...sigh...lovely day ..raining..hope you have spring at your doorsteps..I do..but it is wet spring for now..lets see spoon..brn sugar..maybe some peanut butter....

We did have spring a few days ago, but now it appears to have gone and hidden under a stone as it is blumming cold and windy and rain's forcast for all day tomorrow :-S

What've you done with your laptop, Cat? Didn't get custard on it did you?

Enjoy your peanut butter and brown sugar sandwich. I've just had fish n' chips from the fish n' chips shop....feeling all warm and fuzzy inside now x-)

not custerd with flies on lol

~just got back from a visit to Kew ,Wisley and Mama Mia~loved the show!
On Monday at Kew it poured down from about three o clock as we sheltered in the cafe and ate their gorgeous cake,Where has Spring gone?~you turn your back for a minute....!
Went back yesterday and took lots of pics!

HI Arlene! Glad to see you back...had cake? oh my...in the rain...goodness..makes me think of a song...lol...it keeps trying to be spring here too...changable time of year for sure...
I will not disscuss flies on custard ...gack..
My laptop apparently has a new name given it by the technicians who looked at it..it is called "Amazing" They can not figure out why it worked at all for the last 3 years...they say it must have liked you...lol..it had some major things happen to it that should have shut it down long ago I guess.
Glad I still have my pc...

~hi Caroline~the cake was lovely ~about to have more later as Iam going out with the family for my birthday today and the sun has dec ided to shine!Yay
!Had a fantastic trip round the Tower of London withthe Beefeater in charge oif the tour making us laugh~you must do that if you come over!Our history is very bloody to say the least!

Hi Arlene........HAPPY BIRTHDAY. It's morning here but over there your birthday must be almost done. I hope it was a good one.

I remember going round the Tower. It was great. Are the Crown Jewels still there or have they moved them?

Oh, Sid....Fish and Chips....real English Fish and Chips....now that does make my mouth water. Yummmmm.

Cat ~ Brown sugar and peanut butter sandwich??? Never heard of that one but it sounds interesting. What did you do to have your laptop keep on working. I know....you must have sprinkled fairy dust on it. LOL. Are you sitll going to keep in touch with us all when you get to Wales or are you going to leave us in suspense while you are over there?

I still haven't found any Hagen Daas Sticky Toffee Pudding ice cream. You Yanks have all the luck!! Hee hee hee.

NP ~ that will be your next art project...I can see it now...."A study in custard...with flies on" LOL

...I'd like to see that Tracy Emin woman beat that! She'd probably go with "Unmade bed with custard with flies on". Then NP would have to do something like "Unmade bed with a Big Head with custard with files on". And where would it all stop? There lies madness me thinks...........

Arlene! Happy Birthday! So you're in the capital now are you? I must say I try and avoid the place - I find it too stressful! But I'm planning a visit some time this summer as I want to take my dad to Kew Gardens as he says he's never been. Couldn't have that could I?!

Gilli - they were GOOD fish n chips ;-)

Now, I've just tucked into a bowl of rather yummy homemade macaroni pudding. Now I BET you've never heard of THAT across the Atlantic ;-)

~Home now Sid but had a good time!
Visited both Kew and Wisley but things seem to be late this year although there were a lot of Camellias out at Kew and the Alpine House at Wisley was stunning!
Has your Dad been there?the borders are fantastic in the summer.We stayed at Leatherhead which is only a few minutes away by car.
Totally tired so off to bed!

I've been to Wisley, but dad hasn't. Wisley is pretty big isn't it....I remember they had a lovely collection of Eucalyptus trees. Glad you had a nice time on your birthday :-) Nite, nite.

giant flies ofcourse gilli on a pond of custerd.i think if you could pull it of a 20! blue bottle would look mad lol .ofcourse im mad sid im an artist and coverd in tattoos i must be lol.i thaught you all knew and you say mad like its a bad thing.did you know theres a fine line between high intelagents and madness lol.wow id love to do a garden at chelsea but i dont think i have enough plant experiance.i bet you had a great time arlene

Wasn't calling you mad, NP. Think there's a bit of madness in us all - how would we get through life otherwise?

Perhaps we should all get together and do a 'GoY Garden' at Chelsea? NP could be in charge of sculpture, for planting let's say Grenville & Allan, I could stand around and point and look useful.... Cat could provide the manure (well, not Cat herself you understand! Flash would be doing the easy bit lol), now who could do the water feature.....Foreseasons maybe? Oh hang on, what am I thinking? NP - you've got recent pond-building experience! Bonkers and Jacque would be on the wildlife side of things...... Arlene could knit a shade canopy....... And cake. We must have cake. Weeds could be in charge of obtaining weird guord/zucchini hybrids....... What about a custard pond? Oooooooo......cuuuussstard...........droooooooolll............

OMG a pond of custard? Have to put an electric fence around it....There would be people jumping in right, left and centre. I could give plenty of advice on the placement of snow piles....or I could just stand there and applaud.
Giant flies? A 20 foot blue bottle.? Fantastic....BBbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

ofcourse sid your right lol im a little tea pot short and stout .................. lol.sounds like a plan i could do a sculpture that is also a water feacture.im up for it lol .they wouldnt jump in to many flies lol

I'd have to breed an extra-large pitchur plant to trap those enormous flies so they don't get in the custard. I think I heard somewhere that you can walk on custard - something to do with it having a high surface tension. Useful stuff, custard...........

WEll then it should be what floors are made of..what have we been doing all this time walking on floors that are not custard...???? We are Mad..for that..my legs are aching something fierce from walking around on not custard floors..cement actually all day...wonder if you step right on custard it it would give you just the right sproing so your legs would never ache ...hmmm..but then if it were what we walk on it would not be so much fun to eat.....hmmmm..oh well it was a thought...would rather have it over some Sticky Toffee Pudding I think......gong to go to my grand daughters 14th Birthday party now...ya know bet there won't be an ounce of custard there...grrrrrr....

well if i ever find myself drowning in a vat of custerd i will bare that in mind lol . no i dont think cheese and custerd go together yak

A floor made of custard would be good for anyone who falls down alot. Just have a snack while you're down there. LOL

unless you cant swim gilli lol

i cant believe how much writing on a picture of butterflies and they think im mad lol

We're ALL mad NP......Heee hee hee hee...haa ha ha ha...ho ho ho...Bbbllllllbbblllllllaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

When I have built my cottage I will be sure to have floors of custard. And possibly walls of chocolate. Only thing is, I'd have to rebuild after a few months cuz I would have literally eaten myself out of house and home. Cat - take a bowl of custard to your granddaughter's party - that'll liven things up a bit. And in the unlikely event they don't like eating it, they can try walking on it instead.....

LOL..we have all lost our minds ...oh my..!!!!...Glad I am not the only one...lol..
I have come in from out working in the rain on my back garden and having a garage sale and put on my cozy warm pj's so now I cannot be running off to the store looking for something custard like...hmmm...think I could make some.?.I have eggs and sugar and creammm...what else ...was there a recipe way back there somewhere...oh dear....a scrolling I will go...

you forgot the flies gilli most importent lol

Oh, no, you're defo not the only one Cat by a far stretch! I don't remember a recipe for custard on here.........didn't you or someone google for one?

I did google a recipe Sarah and I have it saved in my recipe file but you know I could not think of something to put it on that I have at the ready so didn't make it..lol..and NP..when I do get around to making it...I will not be adding flies...sorry..I know you are dissapointed...

i am a little hurt cat lol

Oh, Cat! But you can put custard on ANYTHING!! My dads favourit is custard on apple pie. I'm not keen on apple pie - for me it's got to be something chocolaty or strawberry- or raspberry-jammy. But cake or anything generally yummy will do - what about a baked apple? What about kippers n custard?

When I was a kid, our neighbour used to be a wiz at making funny-shaped cakes and things for kids parties. Anyway, I remember one thing she used to do for Halloween - Green Jelly With Flies!!! It was a lime jelly with flies made out of currents with almond flakes for wings. She was a cool mum x-) (mine never did anything cool like that.....tsk)

aw sid bless i can do flies lol my mum makes a crackin apple pie yum yum

Cat ~ have we taught you nothing on this thread??? Of course you can put custard on anything. Custard on salmon, custard on toast, custard on peanut butter, custard on it own with those coloured spinkles on top!!

You had a cool neighbour Sid. That would have been awesome. We used to make dirt for dessert when I was a Girl Guide Leader. What was it now.....Chocolate pudding on the bottom. Whipped cream or Cool Whip on top. Oreo or chocolate sandwich biscuits crushed up and layered thickly on top of that and topped off with candy gummy worms. Easy, yummy and the kids loved it.

Oh dear....the dirt would kill me now..will be making custard soon, will have it on toast ...and peanut butter of course...lol..no flies..unless they are fake ones...like sids neighbor made....wonder how a little coconut sprinked over the top would look....marachino cherry right in the middle? ..maybe?? outta apples ..hmmmm...Oh I know oatmeal with blueberries or maybe just blueberries by them self..!...hmmm..this is going to be good...what else...lets see what I have in the pantry....oh...french toast with blue berrie compote and custard over top instead of maple syrup.....oh breakfast here I come...

Need some help Cj????? Surely you won't be able to eat all that custard by yourself.......I can help.....really......can I make the toast for you???? How about I'll hold the blueberries?????? I can be there in 6 hours or less......really.....just say the word...... :o)

Come on down...lol..if ya can't make it after all with your busy schedule...err ah.........do ya know if you can freeze custard????

you can have custerd in ya borders if you want cat ow and ya raised beds lol

I've never tried freezing custard.....there's never any left over around here. :oD

what a strange concept a wobly yellow lolly lol

ow dont forget the raisens (flies) lol

Frozen custard lollies? Now there's an idea....... Perhaps you should pitch that one to Tescos NP - I'd buy them! :-)

would ya yak lol

Yeah - I think it sounds nice.....you can get custard and rhubard boiled sweets....

ow yes i like them sid

Frozen? Sid? mmm that sounds good to me too...

Oooo....I haven't had rhubarb and custard boiled sweets in eons either. Yummmy. I think frozen custard lollys would be good. I wonder why they haven't come up with those before......Quick NP....you could be a millionaire. :o)
I have been having cravings lately for a Nanaimo bar......Cat, you must know what a Nanaimo bar is? Yummy, yummy, yummy. Trouble is I put on 10lbs just thinking of them.

you never know gilli

NP - if you become a zillionnaire would you mind sending a bit of all that lovely lolly my way please....you know, cuz I helped you with the idea an' all ;-)

Hmmmm. Need a name. Custard Lollies....You could call them Custollies or Lolly-tards....hmmmm think that sounds a bit disgusting - especially if you put current flys in them LOL

Custice?

Oooo - that's pretty good........ Hang on Gilli - Are you trying to muscle in on my share of the gazillions?!

custice flie lol and if i do become a zillionare at least a £5 will be winging its way to you for your great idea

5 pound??? Is that going to Sid or to me??? You are sooooooooo generous Leigh......I'm touched.
Of course I'm trying to muscle in Sid. I'll split the 5 pound with you.....3 for me 2 for you???

be fair 2.50 each theres no need lol

£2.50? I'll try not to spend it all at once.......

Hey..what about me? I have been talking aout these Lollies too!..and yes I love Naniamo bars..so good..ate my first one in a bakery I worked in here over 20 years ago..and then went to Naniamo and got one there...lol...they sell them in every bakery now I think..even in TOP foods and QFC..probably Safeway too..never saw them in southern washington when I lived there...
pony up on the cut you guys...no fair..! what would it be split 3 ways...???hmmm? I think they should be called "NP's Flying Lolly-Rhutards"...lol..love it..

very good cat perhaps you could buy some rhubarb and custerd seeds between you lol

Cat - Think that name has already been thought of - I distinctly remember someone shouting 'Rhutard' out of their car window the other day when I used the wrong lane on a roundabout, accommpanied by some loud blasts on his hooter - certainly sounded excited about it.........

Seeds don't have custard?...huh?...no Custard does not have seeds? do it? uh does it?

Sid...DearHeart...He was not yelling Rhutard ...I am so sorry to have to tell you that....he must have been such an awful impatient fellow....tut-tut...

Oh really? I wonder what it was he was yelling then? lol

I think posh custard in a restaurant might have vanilla seeds in it......Proper custard - the stuff that comes in powder form or in a carton - does not have seeds in it. We don't go in for all that pretentious seedy custard in this house tho, oh, no......

I don't want seedy custard....petoowee...gack..no ...no..no..
What is POSH by the way...is it what we call FANCY?...lol.
Fancy Shmancy???

it does doesnt it lol?