Uk Chit Chat ~~ December 2011

[lisainengland]

So here it is Merry Christmas

Yes folks its December, I hope everybody is all organised for Christmas. Have a Happy Christmas everyone :merry x:

[Rachel]

Oh, OK then - finally - but still under protest......

Merry Christmas and all that tinsel-covered jazz!

It's 28 degrees C here and I am lovin' it!

Sorry for having gone so quiet at the moment, been trying to get a decent internet connection and so on.
Adelaide is truly beautiful and I have fallen in love with our new apartment.
Life is good, tho it would be nice if Santa could drop by with a few more dollars to pay the electricity bill! lol

Rach xx

[Stoneite]

Originally Posted by Rachel

It's 28 degrees C here and I am lovin' it!

Don't! It was something below zero here this morning and the car was frozen so solid I could hardly get the door open.

Seriously - glad everything's gone well for you with the move.

I went out yesterday and finished all the Christmas present shopping so will now rest on my laurels until Christmas Eve when I suddenly remember I have to wrap it all.

Happy Christmas everyone! Jane xx

[lisainengland]

Aww Rach that really isnt fair, its freezing over here and I agree with Stoneite, getting into the car in the morning is a joke.
But I am glad you are getting sorted and settled over there, hopefully Santa will pay your electric bill for you

Stoneite, I have got all the kids presents but I have hidden them at my son's flat so now I have to try and find the time to go and wrap them. Oh well at least the tree is up

[Stoneite]

Rachel I know you'll be missing the snow, so why not make your own snowflake?

[JJS811]

Please, please be careful in the ice ladies. A very dear friend of mine was outside with her dog and slipped. She was rushed into hospital with a very badly fractured wrist (she has surgery tomorrow) and a fractured spine. So please take care.

Ok, just 'cos it's (almost) Christmas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeyHl1tQeaQ&ob=av3n

Bah humbug

[Stoneite]

Poor lady, I hope she'll be OK. Thanks for that timely reminder - most of us just end up sitting on our bum feeling silly, but a simple slip can have horrible consequences, as it has for her.

[lisainengland]

JJ I hope your friend is ok, the ice can be so dangerous. I hate trying to walk on it

My car is broken !!! Can you believe , 18 days before Christmas and I am looking at a £600 repair bill

I love the video JJ, I remember when I was young my Mum used to listen to Johnny Mathis every year. She passed away 14 years ago but I always play the song at Christmas just for her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGMky4tVN7c

[Stoneite]

Originally Posted by lisainengland

JJ
My car is broken !!! Can you believe , 18 days before Christmas and I am looking at a £600 repair bill

Oh no, that is one poorly car! Just what you wanted for Christmas.

Johnny Mathis, mmmmm, I'm with your mum there, love him.

[JJS811]

Thanks ladies, she's not good, she had surgery today on her wrist. Her spine has a definite fracture, but what they are going to do, we don't know yet.

Poor Lisa £600 repair bill ugh... Always happens this time of year.

I'm also with your mom, Christmas is not Christmas without Johnny Mathis.

It's so cold here today. I made a huge slow cooker full of stew for dinner, it went down a treat, the kids keep going back for more...lol

Seems we are headed for good bit of snow, and the wind is so strong and it's cutting, it's so cold. Wrap up warm ladies, moms can't be sick at Christmas.

[Rachel]

ooh ooh ooh
I have been making snowflakes!

Thanks, Jane. That was a really groovy site.

I love it when I find ways to avoid doing real work!!


Rach xxx

[lisainengland]

The kids and I are going to make snowflakes this weekend I love the way you can catch peoples snowflakes and print them out

[Stoneite]

Judie your pot of stew sounds awfully tempting right now! I'm at work, the wind's howling round the building and the rain's lashing against the windows (fortunately it is still only rain).

Lisa I didn't realise you could catch and print the snowflakes! Some people have done really pretty ones, and I love the ones that twinkle. Must have another go myself, they do get very addictive.

[JJS811]

Thank you kind lady. It was something a little different, but was so good. Instead of just an ordinary stew I made it with an ale sauce, it was really nice. Tonight we had a coconut chicken curry. I just throw all kinds into the slow cooker, then come dinner time it's all ready to serve. You could set up something in the slow cooker in the morning and voila, when you come home from work it's ready to eat.

Originally Posted by Stoneite

Judie your pot of stew sounds awfully tempting right now! I'm at work, the wind's howling round the building and the rain's lashing against the windows (fortunately it is still only rain).

[Rachel]

I absolutely love my Slow Cooker, I wouldn't be without it!

I like to make Scouse and that just tastes fabulous after at least a day in the pot.

Yum yum!

Rach xx

[JJS811]

Same here Rachel, mine is used on an almost daily basis in winter time.

Here is a fantastic slow cooker tip. You know when you roast a joint of beef in the oven, quite often it shrinks away to nothing? Put it in the slow cooker on low and let it cook over night. It is tender as anything, cooked so it's falling apart, then the juice is your gravy. I put the juice into a saucepan, add a little red Bisto - perfect. The shrinkage is minimal.

[lisainengland]

I am always making, stews and casseroles but I have never made scouse. If anybody has a good recipe for it I would love to try it

I recieved the sad news yesterday that my cousin had lost his battle against cancer. Its going make Christmas a little more sombre and I dont really feel like celebrating right now but I know he would want us to carry on

[JJS811]

(((Lisa))) Sending my deepest condolences to you and your family. I am so sorry.

[Stoneite]

Originally Posted by lisainengland

I am always making, stews and casseroles but I have never made scouse. If anybody has a good recipe for it I would love to try it

Scouse is short for lobscouse - we Stokies make the same dish as the Merseysiders but we use the other half of the name and call it lobby. Sadly I don't have a recipe - everyone I ask just looks confused and says "But you don't need a recipe for lobby!" Well I do!

[JJS811]

I have no idea what Scouse or lobby is I did find this, which claims to be a 'traditional' recipe?

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4-6 people

Half a Pound of Stewing Steak
Half a Pound of Lambs Breast
A Large Onion
1lb of Carrots
5lb of Potatoes
2 Oxo Cubes
2 Teaspoons of Vegatable Oil
Worcester Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Water

HOW TO COOK
Takes 4 hours of slow cooking

Cut the meat into large cubes and fry in the vegatable oil until lightly browned all over. You may wish to add some Worcester Sauce at this point for added flavour.

Transfer the meat to a large saucepan and add the onion that should have been chopped into large chunks. Follow this by chopping the carrot into medallions and place this on the meat. Peel and then Finely dice 1lb of the potatoes and place on top of the carrots.

Fill the pan with cold water until it is half full. Break up the Oxo cubes and sprinkle into the water. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Let the pan simmer gently, stirring occasionally. The large pieces of onion will start to break up and the potato will become soft and will make the final sauce thick.

Simmer for a total of two hours, then add the remaining potatoes that should have been peeled and roughly chopped, along with a few splashes of Worcester Sauce. Then simmer for another two hours.

Serve piping hot with red cabbage, beetroot, pickled onions and crusty bread. You may add Ketchup and HP for flavouring.

[lisainengland]

Thanks JJ, its pretty much the same way as I make a stew but it will be interesting to try the recipe

Originally Posted by JJS811

I have no idea what Scouse or lobby is I did find this, which claims to be a 'traditional' recipe?

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4-6 people

Half a Pound of Stewing Steak
Half a Pound of Lambs Breast
A Large Onion
1lb of Carrots
5lb of Potatoes
2 Oxo Cubes
2 Teaspoons of Vegatable Oil
Worcester Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Water

HOW TO COOK
Takes 4 hours of slow cooking

Cut the meat into large cubes and fry in the vegatable oil until lightly browned all over. You may wish to add some Worcester Sauce at this point for added flavour.

Transfer the meat to a large saucepan and add the onion that should have been chopped into large chunks. Follow this by chopping the carrot into medallions and place this on the meat. Peel and then Finely dice 1lb of the potatoes and place on top of the carrots.

Fill the pan with cold water until it is half full. Break up the Oxo cubes and sprinkle into the water. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Let the pan simmer gently, stirring occasionally. The large pieces of onion will start to break up and the potato will become soft and will make the final sauce thick.

Simmer for a total of two hours, then add the remaining potatoes that should have been peeled and roughly chopped, along with a few splashes of Worcester Sauce. Then simmer for another two hours.

Serve piping hot with red cabbage, beetroot, pickled onions and crusty bread. You may add Ketchup and HP for flavouring.

[Stoneite]

According to that found of all knowledge Radio Stoke, apparently lobby/scouse are both derived from Lapskaus which was a Viking stew! I have found a recipe for lobby which is something like my mum used to make, although she never put pearl barley in

Ingredients

Serves: 4

• 1lb stewing or braising steak – fat removed and cut into small chunks
• Handfull Pearl Barley
• 1 Diced Onion
• 4 Large Diced Potatoes
• 1 Swede Diced
• 4 Celery Sticks Chopped
• 4 Carrots Chopped
• 2 Beef Stock Cubes

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 5 hours
1.Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cover with boiling water.
2.Stir to combine
3.Leave to cook for approximately five hours.
4.Season to taste and serve in large bowls with chunky bread.

[Rachel]

Being a Scouser's other half for many years, I have found out that each has their own variation on the recipe.
A lot depends on what you can afford, what is available and also personal preference.

My scouse goes like this:

• a load of half decent stewing beef
• a load of carrots, cubed
• a load of potatoes, cubed and bigger chunks too
• not quite so much swede, cubed
• salt, pepper
• a couple of oxo
• Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• enough water to cover it all plus an inch over

Throw in pot, bring to boil.
Cover and cook and low for ages, add salt and pepper as required as the mixture cooks down - but don't oversalt.



Serve with red cabbage (boiled or pickled) and crusty bread.


Keeps in pan for a day and fridge for a long time. It usually tastes better on day two.


I never add herbs, barley or any other malarkey. I stopped using lamb because the less fatty cuts were too expensive. Neck lamb does give an amazing flavour, but it is just too fatty for my tastes.
Also, I don't use onion because it shortens the life of the scouse and makes it "turn" quicker.


You can also make "blind" scouse - which is as above without the meat.
Throw in a few more oxo and be generous with the Lea & Perrins (although for a true veggy option, use veggy oxo and leave out L&P as it contains anchovy extract).


If you are making blind scouse it is usually because pay day is not quite here yet!! LOL


YUM!


Rach xx

[lisainengland]

Thanks Stoneite, I have put pearl barley in stews before but the kids didnt like it. Still a good recipe though. I make meals like this when I am at work all day. It easy to prepare the night before and then just leave in the slow cooker all day

But today I have to go into town to try and do the last few bits of Christmas shopping so they could end up with egg and chips

[JJS811]

I'm going to give this Scouse a try. It sounds really good, and anything that can be thrown in the slow cooker and allowed to just get on with it, is music to my ears.

Lisa, I love egg and chips, not had it for yonks.