OneGuyFromBarlick

If you have a habit of whistling hymn tunes under your breath remember to stop whilst re-filling the pepper pot!

Haha

It's no laughing matter Cathy! I was sneezing for 15 minutes!

The best way to assess whether Xmas food planning was successful is the amount of waste food. If you can report zero you have passed the test!

I failed, as usual

My garden lizard is happy tho, he/she is getting strawberries at the moment.

Mmm... I wonder which veggies they like? Got plenty of those too...

The curse of the singleton Cathy! You have to eat what you cook!

Can't report any waste, other than a whole duck with minor nibbles. It turns out we do not like Duck. Will not buy another one.

No waste here either, we ate out on Christmas Day and had stew from the freezer yesterday. It'll be more freezer food today.

Maz, have you tried buying duck breasts, that's what Mrs Tiz does. Then 6 minutes dry pan-frying on skin side, turn over for another minute; then out of the pan and into oven dish for 15 minutes in the oven at 200C. Ten minutes resting time. They're delicious - but everyone to their own taste!

We did try the breast after we didn't like the leg. Just think we aren't Duck people. I appreciate your wife cooks them beautifully, but we aren't folk who eat much meat at all, except a small portion of Chicken ( and about 300g of Minced Beef between us a week) anyway. Mostly Veg in our house,though we do eat fish a couple of times a week too.
Duck was just too strong a taste I'm afraid.

We put a couple of cheques in the Christmas post to extended family up Newcastle way. Sent them off early with a first class stamp. By Christmas eve they hadn't arrived. Reports started coming back that other first class mail had been tampered with. Today the cheques were cancelled, well done Santander (free action). The tip is don't let your post stand out from the crowd and if in doubt pay that little extra for a recorded delivery.
PS. Our local postie is first class and is more than helpful on all the deliveries.

Like you Maz, we don't eat much meat and one duck breast between the two of us is plenty. Also we use it in stir fry dishes. But if you don't like the taste then there's certainly no point in eating it when other options are available. Most people would look at our meals and think we are on a starvation diet but we've never eaten a lot so we haven't become adapted to the big meals that we see others eating. It's also one of the reasons we usually don't eat out.

I like the attitudes to food you all display. (Not that that matters of course!) It seems sensible to me to take the trouble to find what works for you and stick to it. Perhaps that's today's tip. It's all very well being adventurous but perhaps food is an area where the everyday, proven food is more important. Especially when Like Tiz you have personal issues which mean that many 'normal' ingredients spell trouble. I think about you Tiz every time I chuck spices or sauces into my cooking!

Cleaning light fittings in the kitchen where they are subject to cooking fumes is a good thing. Much improved light and it cheers me up!

If you are using the last of the Pearl River soy sauce in your stew remember that the last slug out of the bottle is the oldest and most powerful. I did it yesterday and have black stew! It tastes fine though.

Remember me talking about the black stew? I thought I'd give you a pic of it. It tastes lovely!

Jack has 'carpet cough', obvious that I have been neglecting the vacuuming and he's picking up hairs as he plays with his ball. Must do better in 2019!

Never heard of carpet cough.
Stew looks roughage rich....and nourishing.

That's my name for the cough Jack gets when he is picking up his own hairs from the carpet as he plays with his wet ball. It's a sure sign that vacuuming is overdue, I did it yesterday!
The stew was indeed good Maz and my accidental use of too much Soy sauce didn't harm it.
I had a Duck Breast in the wrap up I got from Kathy.So today's tip is to use the Mrs Tiz method of cooking them. Twenty minutes slow frying with the fat side down and then a quick blast of the flesh side. Perfectly cooked and very good!

Mrs Tiz was pleased to see you've enjoyed the duck breast!

Tell her I covered the frying pan with a lid while I did the 20 minutes slow fry. I can't remember if she did that or not.
Today's tip, cultivate friends who have empty 25litre containers or a wood pile in their back yard. Makes life a lot easier and cheaper!

She doesn't use a lid but covers the frying pan with one of those metal splash guards. This type of thing: LINK

Constantly review your use of existing spaces and procedures. There is almost always an improvement to be made. They call it evolution! I may be getting nearer to the ultimate small shed!

Cultivate good relations with your kids and grandchildren makes sense when you need approval from them to make you feel comfortable spending some of the Burial Fund on luxuries for the shed! I posed the question and got some lovely replies. I think we have a good understanding!
So today's tip is make sure you stay in touch with them all, when in doubt, over-communicate!

Something David Moore once said to me came to mind yesterday as I was pondering on what, if anything, we are 'entitled' to. Here's what he said.
"We are only 'entitled' to two things, an early morning cup of tea and a good bowel movement. Anything after that is a bonus."
As I get older I think I begin to realise what he meant!