Creper Roses

[SheherazadeSchadenfreude]

Here!

Lalsy, show DD how to prepare couscous, it's so easy and she could put it with all sorts of other things. I used to get the odd phone call from DS asking me what went with what etc - he'd be wandering around a supermarket. DH came to cooking late in life after I had an operation - he's now quite competent.

I lived on pasta with cheese and chilli sauce (yes really....)

My nephew is positively a gourmet cook!

She will be fine though - they all learn (enough) eventually.

LalsyHere you go….somewhat lacking in fruit and veg, though…copied and pasted from his response….

"Haha!

She needs not worry. Most students don't do much cooking anyway! I on the other hand was a cullinary genius.

Jacket potatoes – Who can't put something in the oven for an hour and open a can of beans, tuna, grated cheese :D
Eggs – Completely perfected
Oven Pizza
Spag bol with a dolmino sauce
A hell of a lot of pasta and sauce, cheese
The freezer veg, each portion is in a separate bag and u put it in the microwave and it steams itself. They're quite cheap and actually healthy like normal veg
I used to fry chicken and add a supermarket sauce
The 2min microwave rice pouches"

Any help?

Crepeys, you are all fab , thank you so much. Really useful ideas. Stropps - that approach would suit her I think.

NUF, in answer to your question from earlier - I haven't yet planned anything for dd's b-day. She hasn't wanted a party in years and is going to her school prom the night before her birthday and we are probably all going to a party on the Saturday after. I am trying to use my special telepathic powers to work out what it is she would like, because as usual she isn't telling me as she claims she doesn't know.

This afternoon, I am mainly feeling rather cheery, as I had a lovely message from the long-lost nephew-by-marriage that I contacted yesterday. He is happy to have the info about his dad, as at least he now feels he has the choice about whether to contact him or not. He told me that his mother has never had a good word to say about my (our) MIL, citing the MIL as the main reason why she and his dad split and saying the MIL was Not Normal. Apparently, she has never had any contact with the MIL since either.

And Rose, X-posted again, please thank your ds, his list is great.

(sorry about the rogue commas)

Am loving your DS's suggestions, Rose! I can't actually remember what I cooked (did I? Or did I just drink?!), although I distinctly remember a good friend cooking a Fray Bentos pie once

Ooh I love Fray Bentos pies. I seem to remember going to the chip shop a lot, but also stretching to baked potatoes, or endless beany stews with rice.

Then I perfected my lentil and pineapple curry, however, and reached true culinary goddess status: fry chopped onion and garlic, add curry powder, stir, add one can pineapple chunks, red lentils, stock. Lots of S&P at the end. Surprisingly delicious!

I did a lot of cooking at university of a stoned veggie hippy nature. Made parathas and everything, which I certainly haven't done since.

I have been out for a drunken birthday lunch and am feeling no pain.

Actually I have memories of being in a catered hall. I don't think they exist any more, do they? We moved into flats after the first year though.I remember eating a lot of donuts in the refectory and in the students union…well, we all know what the consumption there is …
DS is very happy to share his Uni tips…but the cheeky bugger just emailed as follows…
"Haha, am I on fatnet?" . Fat Net? How very dare he?
Stropps that was a real gift to your nephew…you will have made his life better.
Mother so glad you're enjoying your birthday…hopefully there's more celebrations to come this evening?
Spent the morning in a deeply depressing meeting with fellow teachers. We all think we won't be teaching this time next year
Cheered up a bit on long sunny walk with DD this afternoon and then started her packing for impending school journey. I am suppressing my anxiety about it…it's all going to come out at the wrong moment, I know it!

Ooh, Rosebag, a fellow teacher!!!

MI - Happy Birthday! fb pic was fab. Hope your day has continued to be fun

if you are looking for 'child' care and lalsy's DD is not free, my DD is back from college mid to end June and looking for work between then and end July. She's done quite a lot of that sort of stuff and seems to be pretty good at it

BTM, hope DD feeling better now

Rosebag I might make use of DS's ideas :)

Stropps, is there something that she would like to do - an activity of some description? It's so difficult when they don't help with suggestions for parties and then expect you to come up with something wonderful. I do think it's a cause of celebration to reach 16, though.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your lunch, MI. What else have you done, or has it been back to the grindstone?

DH has just disappeared (of course, dinner is almost ready). On Monday when we came home there was a Royal Mail note through the door to say they had tried to deliver a parcel. I took said note to the sorting office yesterday and realised that the name on the note said "Walker", and not NUFC; I pointed this out to the man behind the desk in the sorting office. He did bring out a parcel and we agreed that the name on it was "Walker" at my address. Anyway he said he would deal with it and not to worry. This morning another parcel has arrived addressed to the said Walkers (different one!). I spent a little bit of time wandering around the Close looking for the people - now DH has gone to see if he can find them. The two parcels are both from Thompson and Morgan, the plant people. We've lived here a long time and there are very few people that we don't know.

By the way, our local Waitrose is now almost out of Salted Caramel Green Tea - I think we have started a run on it (obviously most people here must read MN!).

Sorry, I have rambled rather about the wrongly delivered parcel - but I foresee endless plants arriving unless we can sort this out.

Thanks addle, we seem to be back to normal service now

I made beans on toast in a cupboard a lot and was forced to eat (because I had to pay for them) strange green things called The Vegetarian Option in college. I was very easily smitten impressed by men with better cooking facilities and more culinary talent . Thank you all for lots of great ideas.

BTM, glad things have settled down a little.

Stropps, I once used my special telepathic powers in a similar situation (other parties and events around the birthday; a flummoxed dd) and booked a table in a slightly posher restaurant than normal. That worked OK.

Oooh, yes, Stropps, a posh-ish lunch, just the two of you. Mine love to do this, and anywhere with proper tablecloths is considered posh. Lunch is often much more bargainous than dinner as well.

I really don't remember cooking much at university. Or cleaning toilets (Frogs, if she is reading, will vouch for the rather grubby bathroom we shared ).

I took advantage earlier of Thursday later night shopping, and nipped to Sutton for a few bits and bobs (including a clandestine meeting outside the station to collect an eBay purchase). The phone rang at 7pm, with a plaintive DH asking if I knew what time it was. The subtext clearly being "where the hell is my dinner?" I directed him to the freezer and oven.

Rudy, go for it, it's obviously what you want. When will it happen?

Happy Birthday MI!
Glad you have had some fun to mark the auspicious occasion.
Wow Rudy you are a brave and decisive woman. I'm impressed as I would dither for years ages over a decision like that.
Am storing up the excellent meal ideas for ds1 in a year's time.

Following my recent confession about being a mammogram avoider they randomly sent me an appointment for tomorrow - eek!

Oh actually, posh lunch, I reckon you might be on to something there. Maybe if she and I went somewhere where we don't pay with Tesco tokens...? This would be a massive step up from our usual meals out. Hmmm. I like this idea. Thank you.

MI, your FB photo from today is really lovely.

All this talk of studentdom and loo-cleaning reminds me of the time we found the largest slug I have ever seen in my life in our student flat next to the loo. Somebody scooped it up in the cardboard inside of a loo roll and it was so huge it hung out either side. Seriously, I think it was a mutant. But this was in a very damp basement in Bath.

Nobody is interested in giving me a mammogram. I have never been sent an appointment. I think you have to be about 70 round here before they get to you.