Three Minutes On Thursday #2

A piece of fruit is a great way to end a meal. Here are some quick serving ideas for the meal table, or the lunch box.

Get out your pens! [biros work best on bananas, felt-tips on citrus]

Children will enjoy a special midday message, and even an adult will smile when he opens his lunch box to find a pirate with an eye patch winking back at him [unless he works in a very stuffy office!]

It is not wise to write on apples, as people usually eat the peel – but it is wise to rinse them before they go in the fruit bowl. But do spend a couple of minutes polishing them. Their appearance is greatly improved with a bit of ‘buffing up’

These are the apples rinsed and dried

The same apples polished – their colour really shines

And if you are serving grapes, don’t just put them on a plate

People will find it hard to pull off a few to eat without grasping the whole bunch. Instead, get the kitchen scissors and snip them into clusters of  5 or 6 grapes. Then pile the clusters into a pretty bowl.[or arrange them around the cheeseboard, if you are also serving cheese ] That way it is much easier for people to serve themselves.

After all, I do not know anybody who has Victorian Grape Scissors these days- although you can still buy them if you have £23 to spare!

Anybody else got any other fruity ideas?

Space Academy Day 3

The Stage Set – and here’s Bob telling the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Our craft yesterday was dressing astronauts in their spacesuits. The foam figures were from Hobbycraft in Warrington – I got them very cheaply back in May

Prayer are slowly going up onto Daniel’s Prayer Wall [one even says ‘Thank You God for Googly Eyes”]

Today’s craft was the messiest so far – making rockets from pop bottles. I should have pictures of the finished articles tomorrow

One important feature of the plenary sessions is the Death Star

…which is full of prizes. Here’s a factoid for you- Haribo sweets have no artificial colourings- their colours come from various plants – including carrot, spinach and nettle [Daniel and his veg-eating friends would have approved of that!] The Death Star began life as a Christmas gift for Bob.

I bought it [empty] from Approved Foods [20p I think] and filled it with sweets for him.

I love the way he has repainted it - and the children compete enthusiastically to win a small bag of sweets by repeating the Cosmic Code Memory Verses each day.

The Teenage Task Force has been fantastic again – and this afternoon Sean came round in the afternoon and helped me prepare stuff. I have been busy sorting out costumes for Dress Up Day tomorrow. Watch this space…

Be Positive, Be Negative

They said on TV recently that in the East Midlands, stocks of B Rhesus Negative blood are running very low.

I am B –ve, so yesterday afternoon I went off and donated my armful. I have not given blood for years. Things have changed quite a bit since I first did it in 1973.

No beds, just fancy reclining ‘donation chairs’. Everything is computerized – so when the flow from my arm slowed down, bells start ringing and the nurse comes over to check it out, and encourage me to squeeze the blue sponge thing a bit more. Now you can pre-book an appointment [no sitting about for hours waiting to get to the front of the queue] And packets of 3 biscuits, not a single Rich Tea in the saucer. And a TV on the wall to entertain you whilst the little pouch is filling up. And a sticker at the end of it all.

I am a total coward when it comes to needles, and the whole process makes me queasy. But it didn’t cost me anything apart from time – and it may make a real difference to someone who is ill or injured.

The Spanish Inquisition beforehand is quite long though. I was asked three times for my date of birth – and then “Is there any possibility you might be pregnant, Angela?” [Not at 58 years old, no!]

Best question “Do you engage in any hazardous hobbies?” [does knitting count?]

I didn’t mention Holiday Club, as I thought ‘engaging in insane behaviour with Jelly Tremblers’ might disqualify me on the grounds of insanity.

Space Academy Day 2

Late last night, Bob was still working on the “Bob Almond Patented Jelly Trembler” until he got it right. The drama required a large jelly which wobbled to order! I had made a humungous 4.5 pint jelly in a large silicon ring mould [as he’d requested] using 5 packets of jelly to make it a little more dense.

However, there were two problems with this. The first was that once turned out, it proved too heavy for the Jelly Trembler Machine, and the second was that shortly after being turned out onto the plate, it proved too heavy to support itself and collapsed on the plate!

I tipped it all back into my big plastic jug and zapped it for 2 minutes in the microwave, to re-melt it, then poured most of the liquid into a 1litre yogurt pot and 600ml cream pot and let them set.

Here is The Trembler – created from scrap wood, and lengths of curtain track. The top board slides back and forth on the curtain track – and the board is attached with two springs to the bit on the right. If you tug the string on the left, the board moves, then goes back, thus wobbling the jelly.

We tried out kitchen weights to see how much the board would hold

The ‘cream pot’ jelly worked well, at first, then fell over and rolled about alarmingly. It was too tall to be stable. We tried the larger yogurt pot [without unmoulding the jelly] and it was not too heavy. We went to bed around 11.30pm!

Out early this morning, taking angle grinder in case of chains! There were none

Here are some of Monday’s fridge magnets

 

Scrap CDs, card templates, and some fruity foam stickers from Baker Ross [BR also supplied self adhesive magnet sheet, which I cut into strips for the back] This craft cost less than 10p per child!

Singing was brilliant today – Ian, Bob, Sarah and Rachel in the band

The alien jelly from the yogurt pot acted very well in the drama! There are astronaut signs all over the place

Everything is going really well, for which we are all extremely grateful. But boy am I exhausted!

I’ve A Little Teapot…

I found an article about the top twenty items in 1970’s kitchens. This fascinated me, as I left home as a student, started out as a teacher in a flat in Hertfordshire, and then got married all in the seventies. Here’s the list – with my comments

TOP 20 ITEMS PEOPLE HAD IN THEIR 70S KITCHEN

1. Teapot and cosy (63%) – still have and still use [although my original Brown Betty smashed, this is a replacement]

2. Kitchen scales (61%) – still have and still use

3. Tupperware (59%) – still using some original stuff, have added a few Lock’n’Locks in recent years. But mostly cheap ice-cream/takeaway/margarine boxes being recycled.

4. Chip pan (58%) – donated to CS years ago in an attempt to slim

5. Salt and pepper shakers (57%) – grinders not shakers. 1976 originals broke in 90s and replaced.

6. Bread bin (56%) – original plastic one split, now using Brabantia s/steel one

7. Hand-held whisk (52%) still have and still use

8. Casserole dish (49%) still have and still use the Le Creuset wedding gifts.

9. Spice rack (44%) still have and still use

10. Pressure cooker(43%)  still have and still use, bought in 1973 when I was a student.

11. Tea strainer (42%) still have wedding gift – lives inside icing sugar tin for sifting over cakes

12. Mug tree (41%) went years ago, only held 6 mugs!

13. Toasted sandwich maker (38%) gave it away

14. Souvenir tea towels (37%) still have and still use, but many have been recycled into other projects

15. Shaped jelly mould (36%) still have and still use

16. Egg slicer(36%) gave it away

17. Lolly makers (35%) in use, in freezer right now!

18. Food mixer (35%) still have and still use

19. Soda stream (34%) broken, not replaced

20. Electric carving knife (33%)  wedding gift, still have and still use, very useful for slicing a dozen baguettes quickly for church suppers!

TOP ITEMS FOUND IN TODAY'S KITCHEN

1. Microwave (70%) yes

2. Electric kettle (69%)  yes

3. Toaster(68%)  yes

4. Saucepan set(57%) yes

5. Knife set (55%) my knives are a mixture, not a set, some date back to 1970s. Kept in knife block and kept sharp by Bob with his steel

6. Automatic washing machine (53%)  yes

7. Wok (49%)  yes [wedding gift from 1970s]

8. Sandwich maker(40%)  no [see #13 above]

9. Blender(38%) yes

10. Hand held blender (37%) yes

11. Tumble dryer (36%) yes – used as rarely as possible, bought 1980

12. Steamer(35%) yes, both bamboo, and 2-part s/steel saucepan

13. Dishwasher(32%) yes

14. Grilling machine (31%) yes, a gift [but haven’t used it for ages]

15. Coffee machine(26%) yes [4 different sorts, all regularly used]

16. Grill pan(26%) yes [came with cooker!]

17. Slow cooker(26%) yes [2 – small one, gift 1982, large one, Aldi sale 2011]

18. Electric scales (24%) yes [they are HIS for breadmaking, I use my original balance pans]

19. Water filter (23%) broke, discarded

20. Bread maker(22%) yes

It is rather frightening to realise that of this list of 40 items, I appear to have owned all of them at some time or another. 5 have been given away and 2 broken and discarded. My tumble dryer is in use, but only rarely. The ‘George Formby’ grill, as my friend calls it, lurks at the back of a cupboard somewhere and may get re-homed one day soon. But the 31 remaining items all earn their keep – some daily, most weekly, and a few just a couple of times a month. Obviously I use the lolly moulds more in summer, and the slow cooker more in winter. Apparently the 70s kitchenware is now considered ‘retro’ and even ‘vintage’ – my stuff must be worth more than I thought!

The article said “Today's labour-saving devices mean that on average we spend just an hour and a quarter in the kitchen each day - compared to nearly two hours in the 1970s. And while 1970s mums cooked at least seven meals from scratch each week, mums of today barely have time to create four.”

The generosity of friends and family down the years means both our kitchens are incredibly well equipped [Cornerstones even has a pressure cooker, and a blender – and a teacosy!] But if I am honest, I would have to say that very few of these items are essentials, although they are all useful.

If things are not getting used here, they should go to a new home!

But why isn’t the electric kettle higher on the list – does it mean that nearly one third of the population is still boiling water in a kettle on the hob?

I am glad I do not need a kitchen boy to turn the spit for me!

Are there kitchen gadgets on this list you have/ wish you had/once had, but then discarded?

Space Academy Day 1

Thank you everyone for the encouraging comments. I am sorry, but today I never got round to taking any photos- we were just too busy! We were quite mystified on our arrival at church at 8.30am, to discover somebody had put two padlocks and a large chain round the gates of the church car park. They aren’t there now – Bob went home immediately and fetched the necessary tools to cut them off!

Quite why anybody would want to stop the children’s club from happening is beyond me – but it seems an unnecessarily mischievous act.

Despite the slight delay [not every Pastor has to cut his way into the church!] we were very soon back on track and started on time. The session went incredibly well – and I came home to discover the green alien jelly in the fridge has set properly [that is starring in tomorrow’s drama]

Thankyou staff team, you were wonderful as ever!

Holiday Bible Club–Day 1

The tee shirt is ready – not sure if I am though!!

Such A Time As This

Bob has been preaching through the book of Esther. It is a great story – but unusual among the Bible books in that nowhere does it explicitly mention the name of God. And yet, throughout the narrative God’s hand is clearly at work – He IS there, you just have to look for him. “This” declared Bob at the beginning of the sermon series “Is probably the origins of all those ‘Where’s Wally?’ books!”

And last week , I saw this in Waterstones

And right beside the cardboard character was this display

I have no problem answering that question – in my case, clearly, The Bible is The Book That Made Me.

One of my favourite verses in the book of Esther is ch4 v14

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?

[You can always listen to Bob’s sermons on the KMFC website – other sermons may be available!]

Fun In The Sun

Just a few pictures of last week’s Ruby Wedding event. As soon as I had got back from preaching, Bob and I went down to the party, arriving just before 1pm. We sat under a lovely gazebo, in Frank and Barbara’s back garden, for lunch.

First course provided by the Paella Man

Then Frank made a speech…

…and he and Barbara cut the cake

with the official Almond Family Samurai Sword!

Dessert was a delicious assemble-it-yourself Eton Mess

Sadly we had to leave the party early, as Bob was preaching on Sunday night…but it was good to celebrate with the family.

Throw Down The Gauntlet

definition: to offer a challenge

Bob ‘threw down the gauntlet’ – actually, he threw down a pair of them “Can you do anything about these, Ang?” he said, giving me his motorcycle gauntlets. The problem was that his hands had got rather hot and sweaty and the gloves were a little very smelly inside.

My solution was to buy a bag of cheap cat litter from Wilkinsons.

I filled each glove with the litter, then pegged them up and left them overnight. In the morning, I shook out the litter and then vaccuumed them thoroughly.

I used the crevice tool, and found the best method was to put the tool inside each digit in turn, switch on the cleaner briefly, then switch it off again and move on to the next digit.

The odour was successfully absorbed by the cat litter and the gloves smelled much better afterwards.

However honesty compels me to tell you that when Bob wore them a few days later, he was conscious of a few gritty bits of litter still lurking in the fingertips. I think maybe I should have lined the gauntlets with a cheap pair of cotton gloves first, and tipped the litter inside them. That would have still absorbed the smell, but been easier to remove cleanly.

Unfortunately he was also caught in a succession of thunderstorms on his ride, and totally soaked through. [He tipped a full pint of rainwater out of each boot – which he thoughtfully used to water the fig tree!] The gauntlets are still rather damp. So I may repeat the exercise [with inner gloves this time] to see if that will absorb some of the moisture.

You can also use this method for stinky trainers and other shoes.

Another good use for cat litter - if you spill oil on the garage floor, sprinkle it with litter, and it will absorb it and make it much easier to clear up.

Three Minutes On Thursday #1

The explanation for TMOT is here.

My tips this week are about making drinks more interesting at meal times. When I ask for mineral water in a pub, I am usually offered “Ice and A Slice”

At home, where a glass of water is usually from the tap [‘Council Pop’, as a friend always calls it] it is fun to make it a little more attractive. Here are two quick ideas which are easy to do.

Occasionally I will buy a mixed bag of lemons and limes in the supermarket – especially if they are marked down in price.

when I get home, I cut one or two limes into eighths, and open freeze them , then pop them all into a plastic box in the freezer.

Drop one of these into a glass of water [or a few into the jug in the centre of the table] and you have your ice-and-slice combined!

Another refreshing and less common garnish is a slice of fresh cucumber. Either float it on top of the drink, or hook it on the side. Cut out a slim wedge which goes just past the centre of the slice before sliding it over the rim.

This one works well if you have salad at the meal. Remember, cucumber doesn’t freeze because of its high water content so you may want an ice cube as well, if it is hot!

The other night I felt really hot and uncomfortable in bed – and Bob offered to go and fetch me a glass of iced water. He came back with a glass of water, and a sprig of fresh mint he had plucked from the garden tucked between the ice cubes. It looked so cool and attractive, and it made me feel really special.

There’s this Thursday's three three-minute tweaks for you from me!

[Jennifer sent this comment last week, and I am repeating it here because it is also on the drinks theme…My grandmother used to put ice in the glasses and stick the glasses themselves in the freezer for a few minutes before dinner. Combining this with a beverage that was already cold gave the drink an extra chilled effect and increased our enjoyment of the food.Thankyou J!]