Weekend social 21/12/2012
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2:00 pm, December 21st, 2012 - 47 comments
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Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever.
No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?
47 comments on “Weekend social 21/12/2012”
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Getting ready for Easter
Can’t wait for Labour day.
Start hiding your eggs now.
Who can afford eggs anymore?
Me. Back on a protien diet again… Gained 23kgs since hospital last year that I need to start getting off.
Ah those distant beloved potatoes. đ
Surely just a couple of new potatoes on xmas day?
With butter, rosemary and thyme. Mmmmm.
Oh yeah. We’re off the diet over xmas – bloody pointless when you just know that the food is all going to violate the guidelines.
Lyn was (almost) drooling contemplating chocolate and white wine (ie bad grape juice) last night. Baked spuds…. Ummm
Pretty tough timing to start a diet however I’m sure there’ll be lots of meat to select from!
Ah, glorious potatoes! So many ways to prepare this most noble, yet humble vegetable. Unfortunately they are high ranking in their glycemic index and partner perfectly with fats such as oil for frying, butter for smothering, or cheese for decadance. Sigh. A distant memory for me too.
However, there is a way around it for a treat. At this time in our calendar we have our lovely waxy new season’s potatoes whose GI is much lower than the starchy agria etc varieties that we tend to bake, mash or chip. A good treat recipe I use in summer is this one:
Par boil some small waxy new season’s potatoes such as the perla. Drain and leave aside to cool. Make a dressing from olive oil, tarragon vinegar and a massive handful of fresh mint that has been blanched in boiling water for no more than 10 seconds, Blitz in a blender. Take your tatties, oil them slightly and grill them on the BBQ until you get some nice grill lines. Put them in bowl and when cooled a bit put the dressing over. Add sugar snap peas, fresh basil and cherry toms and there you have it.
Haven’t figured out a way around the dairy cravings and the wine that goes so nicely with it……….
I just pulled some baby agria out of the garden. They, too, are quite waxy and great for salads when they are small.
Your potato salad sounds delicious. My mother makes up her special potato salad recipe on Christmas day. Divine. Must get that recipe too.
I’m surprised at those of you who will be adhering to a diet over Christmas – even on the day. Feast – diet, the two just don’t got together in my book.
Warm wishes to those of you who won’t be celebrating over the holidays, whatever the reason. Arohanui.
Love spud comments: I have been served recently (by Mrs Ennui) smashed potatoes (not quite mashed) into which she has drizzled lemon juice and olive oil with a little mint. Wonderful.
We are yet to crop the Jersey Bs we grew in tyres for the first time, they have flowered and are probably ready. Three tyres high, they push ever higher, hoping for a bumper harvest courtesy
Well tonight I think I will cook my Partner Dinner You have inspired me.
Steak Mushroom and Carrot Casserole, with a rich brown gravy, Steamed Red and Green Cabbage With Mashed Potatoes. Mine are minimally dairy. I use Margarine and Mayonnaise.( The cheap Buget salad dressing at about 4 bucks for a 700gram jar)
” So many ways to prepare this most noble, yet humble vegetable. ”
Thinking of potatoes as a vegetable just doesn’t seem right. Technically maybe it is..but..but..its a fucking potato damn it. Not a vegetable!
Grumble, Grumble, get the fuck off my lawn.
calm down fulla, its only martinborough mr
and mr s
I’ll never calm down. I’m the last angry man and I wanna rattle a few cages. Bah!
Yeah I’m with you there. Plants are only vegetables when you eat the leafy bits.
And don’t get me started on the whole “tomato is a fruit” shit….and what is the fucking deal with peanuts being a legume?
Fucking Mayans.
Nice talking with you man. Charming as usual I see.
Merry Christmas.
Hoping the humidity levels and heat stay down, but not looking too promising.
Hi David. If I recall correctly, you’re up Horowhenua way? Yes the humidity and heat has been a bit over the top this week. Tuesday reminded me of living in Akld. Forecast looks like much of the same over the next few days. We have a fog going on here all this morning but thankfully the wind turned south. No wind as such but just the slightest breeze.
Yes I am in the Horowhenua and I am cooking and going thru Inhalers too at 5 bucks a pop is not cheap.
Well done on your dinner making plans:-) Lucky partner.
I guess from your comment that you have asthma and the humidity is getting to you. Sorry to hear that. My husband is asthmatic and different things trigger him – this year it was stress. He got a new prescription a while ago and it wasn’t the same one as usual. Doc said rules changed and there is new supplier. The doc doesn’t sound like a fan of pharmac and made the remark that the inhaler cost 4 cents to make in India and its made by children. Don’t know what the previous history is around their manufacturing but the Doc wasn’t happy about the new ones.
Hope you find some respite in this weather and that your health improves.
You are making me feel guilty. My wife is a superb cook ,However way back when she was in hospital I cooked for our kids, All turned out pretty well .Just one day I burned the potatoes .
My youngest son could not get into the ward quickly enough to announce to one and “Dad burnt the potatoes.” Incidentally he has turned out to be an excellent cook bring up 3 boys on his own with a full time job but served great meals every day. Poor old me there is no justice.
I wish all our our readers and commentators the very best for the holiday .Lets all forget those bloody Tories for a few days,
Yeah they’re trying to palm off the so called new Inhaler’s but I won’t have a barof them. It costs me 5 bucks a pop, but I still get the Ventolin, and not that generic garbage they tried to replace Ventolin with.
I have friends who have tried this with some moderate, though imperfect, success.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buteyko_method
If you fancy yourself a wee jaunt around the slopes of Mount Everest…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/interactive/2012/dec/20/mount-everest-zoom-2bn-pixel-image
I continue to work over the holiday period, but am considering some time off during the better weather in Feb/March…. or April.
Yup. I get to work right through as well.
Personally I rather like it because it’s a few weeks of the year when I can get stuff done without anyone asking questions.
I normally would work on Christmas eve ’cause the boss would always come around and tell everyone to go home around 2-3pm. No point wasting a full day of leave on that đ
Going down to Oamaru for my bf’s family this year so had to take it off though.
Since I seldom take holidays unless forced to (which is why I have about two months of leave available at present), I always have the opposite problem. If there is a awkward spare day around then I always take it as a holiday. Then I’ll have some serious time to work on non-income generating things at a low ‘cost’.
Three games of golf on three consecutive days and looking forward to Boxing day …
Getting ready for Xmas.
Finished work almost..one more day.
Been a very long and tiring year. The squeeze is on from bosses in these hard economic times.
Family and friends gathering and a few randoms
Time to be thankful, to remember and think of those in the world in need.
Parish priest from India at Xmas dinner will say grace and remind us all of the poverty that fill the world.
BBQ on boxing day and more fishing.
Time to be thankful, to remember and think of those in the world in need.
Like these people….
Spent the day hunting down suitable Xmas cards for a few people who sent me one but I hadn’t sent them one. Bloody nuisance when that happens. Got to Takapuna Beach eventually. Beautiful rollers coming in ahead of former Cyclone Evan. One more swim tomorrow before the weather turns to custard.
For EiR. Ended up with 4 budgie chicks. Full of mischief, but I think the oldies secretly enjoy it. Are your girls getting a Xmas present?
Snowed last week in saltzburg. What a beautiful place. So clean. So polite. So helpful. Cold but windless. Magical.
Enjoy! No white Christmas for us. It’s a good time to visit the salt mines at nearby Hallein too. Not swamped with tourists at this time of year.
Also great restaurants in Salzburg – Hangar 7, if they’re not overbooked, for breakfast and Carpe Diem if you have a fat wallet (otherwise just stop in for a drink ;-)).
Gidday Rosy Viper, best of both worlds since the beauty of snow cover, maybe a bit icy but not the vision blocking, smothering of footpaths. We have done the salt mines and the sleigh ride though the sleigh had wheels for the road rather than snow sliding. Fantastic trip through the valley heavy with snow. House fires wood burning but only steam – no smoke. Dairy farm of 10 cows a good size for a farm? EU subsidies? 100per cent Clean Green?
I must say I am enjoying this very first day of a new era.
Maybe they were right.
Peaceful, ain’t it?
Not in my neighbourhood it ain’t
Happy 14th Baktun everyone!
I get to travel on the bus to see family and get golden oldie rates. Whee great That’s a useful present. I need that after just putting down my unwell cat – the process was costly but done with much sensitivity. But I keep expecting him to come round the corner.
Sorry to hear about the cat, Noseviper. I remember that when I had to do the same, I did more than wipe my nose. It was done with sensitivity and some emotion, too, by my vet. The mercy was that it had to happen, it was quick and painless, and expensive. And yes, memories for others will be our legacies for our lifetimes, too. Golden oldie wisdom…..
I am acting as a Santa in a local store, finishing tomorrow. I keep reminding myself that the memory of how the children, and adults, perceive the Santa they meet will live on much longer than I might realise, and colour their next encounter. I hope you can get another cat and another good set of memories.
Thanks mac1. About cats – they are harder to know than dogs, yet they’ll be a warm, literally, constant companion. A gap before another one. Maybe a small dog, they are appealing. Saw an interesting cross at the vet, small dachsund and chihuahua. Small, long and with a soft fluffy look.
About Santa good on you for keeping Santa alive. Sure there is a commercial aspect to him and his elves and hangers on! But creating fun and mysterious surprises which Santa represents and the turn of attention towards children and family that goes with it all makes it all worthwhile. I remember that Santa always used to drink the cup of tea I left out for him and eat the Christmas cake as evidenced by the crumbs left. I must remember to thank my Dad for that memory.
It was a glass of beer and fruit for Santa in my day. And there was always a large orange in the
toe of the stocking that would be tossed aside without so much as a glance. If my mother was attempting to instil good habits she failed…