The General Chat Thread

The Hill Billy

angeldelight wrote: »

We were on a flight where a similar announcement was made and 2 people complained! They kicked up a huge fuss!!

Assholes! What's the big deal not eating one particular thing for an hour or two?

The poor kid this morning was obviously quite unwell, was on oxygen, the whole nine yards.

Dizzyblonde

The poor child

It's astonishing that people would complain over something so small when there are people who can be so badly affected.

IvyTheTerrible

angeldelight wrote: »

We were on a flight where a similar announcement was made and 2 people complained! They kicked up a huge fuss!!

Well a dead child is a small price to pay for me to have my essential snickers. :rolleyes:
Cripes, people are stupid.

Kablamo!

Hi guys,
I'm going to a gentleman friends house for dinner (oooooooooooh!) on Saturday. He's offered to cook and seeing as how both of us are on call on Sunday there'll be no alcohol involved.
I was brought up never to arrive at someones house with my arms swinging so I'm thinking of making a dessert? My usual go to is a key lime pie (I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I'd be more sour) but he mentioned last week that he doesn't like it.
I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions of a tasty, impressive dessert (for him, not me!)?! Also is that a stupid idea

GrahamThomas

Bringing dessert is a great idea. How about chocolate biscuit cake? It can be made in advance and refrigerated until needed, and plus everyone loves chocolate biscuit cake!

Lovely Bloke

he might already be planning a starter-main-dessert kind of meal, so make sure, or else just bring it but be prepared to eat 2 desserts. You can mention tomorrow that you'll bring dessert, it would be good to hear that from his perspective as it takes some of the pressure off.

Neither is a bad option, in fact, two desserts sounds great.

If you don't want to bring dessert, bring dessert.

Mystery Egg

If I was you, I'd bring a really nice soft drink (pink lemonade, ginger beer, elderflower fizz etc.) and a really nice piece of cheese.

Tom Dunne

I'm not going to lie to you - when it comes to creepy-crawlies, I go from a 40-something year old man into a little girl.

I have just spent a quite traumatic 30 minutes deshelling jumbo prawns.

It's flippin' frozen, shelled jumbo prawns from now on, I tell ya.

iwantmydinner

^^life is just too short to shell a goddamned prawn.

Gloomtastic!

If it's a small/medium prawn, you can eat the shell - minus the tail. Adds a bit of crunch......

Tilly

iwantmydinner wrote: »

^^life is just too short to shell a goddamned prawn.

Totally! I dont want to have to work for my dinner!

Loire

Think I'll start drowning some fruit in alcohol tonight in prep for the crimbo cake . Will obviously have to sample the booze beforehand to make sure it's ok. The fruit'll be grand :pac:

Mystery Egg

Loire wrote: »

Think I'll start drowning some fruit in alcohol tonight in prep for the crimbo cake . Will obviously have to sample the booze beforehand to make sure it's ok. The fruit'll be grand :pac:

Ooh!

I have never made a Christmas cake. This year I am splitting the cooking with my friend as our two families are eating together, and I am in charge of the cake.

Can you guys help a girl out and recommend your favourite cake recipes?

The Hill Billy

Your question is probably best suited to the Cakes & Bakes forum.

Loire

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Ooh!

I have never made a Christmas cake. This year I am splitting the cooking with my friend as our two families are eating together, and I am in charge of the cake.

Can you guys help a girl out and recommend your favourite cake recipes?

Having made a really good cake last year I thought I was all set, but I can't find the recipe I used so I'll have to search myself

janmaree

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Ooh!

I have never made a Christmas cake. This year I am splitting the cooking with my friend as our two families are eating together, and I am in charge of the cake.

Can you guys help a girl out and recommend your favourite cake recipes?

I've been using Nevin Maguire's christmas cake recipe from one of his early books, his Auntie Maureen's recipe I think but I haven't taken the book out yet this year. My Mum always did the Christmas baking but it's down to me now and I've said prayers of thanks for Nevin every Christmas for nearly a decade! If you'd like, I can post the recipe for you, I'm sure he wouldn't mind!

IvyTheTerrible

I have 14 pots of chestnut jam, that'll get us through the year!

I'm delighted we got so many pots made as this year it was really hard to find chestnuts (there is a parasitic wasp infecting the trees and it has reduced yields by half in this part of the world).

Loire

So I received a text from a work colleague last night (who hunts) who told me he had something for me this morning. In I come to work and out we go to his van....a whole back leg of venison (in 2 pieces)

I have a dinner party coming up in a few weeks so I am looking for ideas to do something special with it. Thinking of roasting it but any advice most welcome

Loire.

Neyite

Venison with blackberry sauce from the Darina Allen book was delish when I cooked it.

Padraig Mor

Ooh, Aldi have tri ply copper pots and pans next week. Cheap for copper cookware - but not cheap cheap either! Also bamboo butcher blocks and a Santoku knife set (other stuff too). €18 for the (two) knife set, which would seem to be excellent value if the knives are forged (as opposed to stamped) as the leaflet suggests.

Gloomtastic!

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Ooh, Aldi have tri ply copper pots and pans next week. Cheap for copper cookware - but not cheap cheap either! Also bamboo butcher blocks and a Santoku knife set (other stuff too). €18 for the (two) knife set, which would seem to be excellent value if the knives are forged (as opposed to stamped) as the leaflet suggests.

I bought a Japanese knife from Aldi a couple of years ago - rubbish!

hardCopy

Traffic, shopping and chopping took longer than planned. Now I have a lovely beef stew in the oven that I won't get to eat until tomorrow and tonight's dinner will be from a plastic tray.

Mystery Egg

I just put my first Christmas cake in the oven. I'm excited. The smell is incredible.

I can't upload a picture or embed a link because I am too new a user.

But if you use the search term 'Make & mature Christmas cake' on the BBC Good Food website you'll find it.

homemadecider

I've somehow managed to have a very productive cooking day despite a raging hangover. I made a big batch of bolognese for the freezer & tonight's dinner, 5 bacon egg muffins for work lunch, a tray of flapjacks for work snacks and a spicy meatloaf for tomorrow's dinner. Knackered now, but so much lovely food!

Dizzyblonde

homemadecider wrote: »

I've somehow managed to have a very productive cooking day despite a raging hangover. I made a big batch of bolognese for the freezer & tonight's dinner, 5 bacon egg muffins for work lunch, a tray of flapjacks for work snacks and a spicy meatloaf for tomorrow's dinner. Knackered now, but so much lovely food!

I haven't made a meatloaf in ages! Now you've reminded me I'll make one during the week.

Applause

I've always wanted to try some meatloaf but never got round to it, is it possible to make it without egg?

homemadecider

Applause wrote: »

I've always wanted to try some meatloaf but never got round to it, is it possible to make it without egg?

I didn't use any eggs in mine, I used a whole tube of tomato puree which made everything wet enough to hold together.

beertons

Went to make toast there. No bread. Must be up there with the worst feeling ever.

kylith

Applause wrote: »

I've always wanted to try some meatloaf but never got round to it, is it possible to make it without egg?

Yep. Just pack it in well and it'll hold it's shape no problem.

Kablamo!

Thank god I didn't make a dessert, yer man got called to work so by the time he was finished we had... DRUMROLL... Chicken nuggets and chips! The table setting was beautiful though!
Now I have lovely cheese to eat tomorrow evening.
All in all, a great success!