Packed Lunches

What does anyone do for packed lunch 5 days a week??!! I need some heavy weight clues and quick before I go off cheese and pickle. I used to have a good laugh at a mate of mine who every time he rang his wife to find out what was for tea, he was invariably informed it was "baked potato". I like them but not every night, a bit like cheese and pickle every day!

Chips

Today, I have had chips which were made from mashed potato, frozen, cut into chip sizes, then deep fried. Not much else to say is there. Yum. (I have had healthy stuff too)

Sandwiches

I think cheese and pickle is my favourite. What's yours?

Whats growing in your garden??

I don't know about yours, but I have been missing all sorts in ours. We were lucky to inherit a mature garden when we moved and the previous owners had planted fruit trees which have produced in varying amounts each year and I am learning more about them as we go along. But, the one which I had dismissed as quite odd, producing rock hard fruits, turns out to be a Quince bush. So this year, I have picked the fruit and laid them out waiting for them to change colour, green to yellow, and then I'm going to have a go at all things Quince! Any advice would be much appreciated.

Did I mention Junk Food?

A little bit of what you fancy does you good. It seems that we have all forgotten that lovely saying. Its a brilliant excuse and must rank alongside of "Medicinal" when you sneek a good measure of your favourite tipple. What can be wrong with the occasional sin? as long as it doesn't become a substitute for a good balanced diet. For me, a KFC Zinger meal, the odd Big Mac and fries (regular!), thankfully there are a few more as well but I will stop there as I have no desire to be "saved".

Lifting the Lid on Lifting a Lid

If you suffer with arthritis or a weakness in the hand or wrist department, then opening a jar lid can be a major problem and some of the solutions available are like pieces from a manual of medievil torture. The most common utensil on offer is the scissor style clamp with a variety of different integral lid sizes to choose from. The first thing to point out is that if you buy a cheap one, you may well have wasted your money and a more expensive one still might not work for you since it requires some strength in your grip to squeeze the handles together and at the same time twist to release the lid. It might sound petty, but this can be most frustrating. The solutions come thick and fast, Boa, different sizes and shapes of bits of rubber sheet, trap it in the door frame, damp cloth, clamp it between your knees, wait for someone strong to call by, run it under a hot tap, wind out steel strap, and on and on. The problem with most jar lids is the vacuum created when it is sealed at the factory. The absolute best solution I have found which suits just about all hand and wrist ailments and does not cost the earth is the JARKEY, rather like a beer bottle opener for jars. Simply place it under the edge of the lid and lift, and with little effort the vacuum is released and the lid is easily unscrewed. Thereafter wipe around the top of the jar to keep the thread free of becoming sticky and all should be well.

Gastromax Kitchen Tools

There are always a couple of favorites in every range of kitchen gadgets and utensils, and the spatula and tongs are the two here. Having said that, the rest of the range is made up of a superb collection of good value for money useful tools and gadgets. This is a range that is ideally suited to non stick cookware and that is equally at home with all other ranges as well as they do not scratch any surface. They are heat resistant to 265c / 500f and dishwasher safe as well. Buy these with confidence.