Lamb Stew ...

Question: I made a lamb stew and there was some left over. The top is covered with fat. Is it ok to eat?

Hello Daughter ~ no need to be distressed. Well done for making lamb stew ~ very impressed.

The fat in the meat will have risen to the top of the dish. I'm presuming you made the stew yesterday or the day before. So, scrape the bulk of the fat off the stew. Reheat gently. The residue of fat will melt into the stew when warming up.

Enjoy.

Jill

Something Snuggly ...

Something snuggly ... from http://www.internetgardener.co.uk/

Jill

Neat and Tidy ...

Something sensible ...

from http://www.internetgardener.co.uk/

Jill

Festival Season creeping up on us ...

Wellies for all cultures ... Street Punk Wellies ...

£21.95 from http://www.internetgardener.co.uk/

Jill

Ginger ...

Ginger ... what more is there to say?

Quite a bit actually ...
Ginger is the rhizome [rhizome is the underground stem] of the plant Zingiber officinale.

Ginger is used as a cooking spice. [We knew that]

Ginger can be used to help prevent nausea, particulary with regard to motion sickness, post-operative sickness and pregnancy.

Ginger aids digestion: it aids the absorbtion of food and eliinates gas and bloating.

Ginger stimulates the flow of saliva and gastric sectretions and can help reduce flatulence.

Ginger can be used to treat and prevent migraine headaches.

Ginger may prove to be effective for pain relief, as an anti-inflammatory eg: rheumatism.

So Ladies, lets give it up for ... Ginger !

Jill

Courage:

Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one’s courage.

Anais Nin

Couldn't agree more ...

What do you think?

Jill

Help ! I'm turning into my Mother-in-law ...

Help … I’m turning into my mother-in-law !

Whilst we’re on kettles as subject matter …

I’ve taken to saving, saving, saving, but who hasn’t in this difficult time of credit crunching? So, when I boil the kettle, I only use the amount of water that I really need. To be totally honest, I’ve always done this. Partly because of impatience, waiting for a full kettle to boil ... and partly because it really does make sense.

Yep, yeah, okay, I heard you: What about the Mother-in-law? Strangely enough, there are stories of re-using tea bags, thinning down soup in cafes [ to make 2 servings ] - with the hot water from the tea service and making a meal for 6 from 1 chicken [ and why not? ] but then ... she goes and FILLS the kettle when making a cup of tea just for two people ... argghh !

Jill

Bits in My Drinks ...

Uggh ! My kettle has nasty greyish bits inside. And it keeps making more! The little filter bit is missing from the top of the kettle and I keep getting bits in my drinks. How can I get rid of them?

Hi Daughter, thanks for your question … very observant. You are obviously maturing into grown-up-dom well.

The ‘bits’ in your kettle are probably coming from a grey-white build up in your kettle. This residue is lime scale and caused by calcium carbonate deposits in water. I know it doesn’t look too healthy but actually, it won’t harm you.

To remove the lime scale, you could either buy an expensive product from a hardware store or DIY warehouse ~ or ~ use Vinegar !

*Buy a large container of vinegar when on offer – Vinegar can be used for all sorts of household fixes – burnt pans for one – super-shiny mirrors for another.

Simply fill the kettle with vinegar until all the residue is covered with the vinegar. Leave it to soak for a couple of hours. Hey Presto! The lime scale should have dissolved – as if by magic.
You might like to boil a kettle full of water before you make your next brew.

* The kettle in the photo has limescale around the top and spout. As water has boiled, deposits have landed there. Try soaking a sponge with vinegar and dousing the area. Leave for a couple of hours and rinse.

Hope this works for you,

Jill

Favourite quotation for the week ahead ...

Fashions change but style remains.

Coco Chanel.

Sox Box ...

Sox Box ...

from www.dibor.co.uk/

Super-cute organisational and pretty stuff for co-ordinating your home.

Bedroom accessories.
Kitchen storage.
Bathroom organisers.


Take your pick and choose from French, distressed, rustic, country, vintage styles.

Jill

Look What I've Got ...

For the girls [not] about town, I can definitely recommend this ... a DeWALT tool carrier ... and it certainly shows off its label !


At prices less than a handbag with a label most men would lose their right arm for ... the DeWALT is light to carry, plenty of space for straighteners, hairbrushes, lipsticks ... only joking of course and I don't want to be sexist or anything like that [of course] but they make great boyfriend presents and at around £24, great value for money. You could fill it with tools and give the hint of what's to come ... repairs and maybe marriage ...

Or just get one yourself and have the tools handy for fixing those little jobs that we can do ourselves anyway.

Coming next ... Tools. What you need. Why you need it. What you do with it.

Jill

Cats, Cakes and Community Spirit ...

Dear Jill / Daughters in Distress,

I’ve recently rented the upstairs half of a house. I took my downstairs neighbour a chocolate cake to say hello. [She lives on her own - with 4 cats] I’m over noisy mates and parties. I always say hello when I see her but she’s always grumpy with me. What can I do?

Hello DID [Daughter in Distress] ~ Thanks for your message. It seems your neighbour is grumpy full stop. Probably not with you. Living with four cats could indicate she’s lonely. Don’t give up. It sounds like a barrier that needs to be softened with friendliness and neighbourly caring. More cakes? A small bunch of flowers? Ask her in for a cuppa? Lend her a book? Don’t give in. Build community spirit. You’ll feel good and she’ll be putty in your hands before you know it. [Incidentally, putty is a pliable mixture made from linseed oil and chalk which is used to secure glass into place in window frames].

Jill

I Want to Ride my Bike ...

This Vintage BSA Loop Frame Ladies Town Dutch Bike currently stands at £1.04 on ebay with only 2 bids so far !

But there aren't any measurements with the ad which prompted me to remind you to work out what size bike you need.

For instance, frame sizes can start at 16" and go up to approx 21" [To be honest with you, if I'd realised there were varying frame sizes years ago, I would have been much more interested in cycling].

Wheel size is another consideration. Being only 5'3", bike wheels always seem scarily large to me. But now I realise the frame needs to fit your height and gender [see myra-simon below for in-depth explanation] ~ I'm hoping the wheels will be proportionate to the frame.

If you want to ride to college with a few books? Or the local shops for your food shopping? ... then a town bike might be for you. Think 'The Enigma' or Mary Poppins ... hmm ... did she have a bike? or just a brolly?

If however, you fancy riding further afield, then you may need something with more gears; tyres specific to the terrain and ditch the wicker basket for cool.

Check out these sites for all there is to know about choosing a bike ...

http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/womens-fit.html

http://www.blayleys.com/articles/womensfit/index.htm

Now get out there and burn some calories ...

Jill

I want to ride my bicycle ...

Petrol is sooo expensive ... So why not get out your bike?

You can burn off the calories too !!

Jill.

An Apple a Day Keeps ...

Apparently, A Happy Person eats Chocolate ... A Hopeful person eats Fruit ...

Time to change the habits of a lifetime. But seriously, there are sooo many better-than-good reasons to eat apples that we should be thinking of consuming more of them. Browse over these findings and decide for yourself ... and remember ... the future's not orange, its Apple ...

Apples are full of pectin, a soluble fibre which helps lower cholesterol ~ Pectin binds with bile acids and decreases fat absorbtion.

Apple fibre helps cleanse intestines.

It's a good idea to follow a meal [especially a fatty one] with an apple or apple juice.

Drink apple juice instead of other drinks.

You really need to eat 2 apples a day. Four is a bonus but probably not reasonable ~ however, you can buy Apple Pectin in capsule form ~ try www.healthmontly.co.uk.

Thanks to www.allaboutapples.com for their tips.

Jill