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Bluecat

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Everything posted by Bluecat

  1. [quote user="sweet 17"] Just a pastis for me, please, Mrs Bluecat.   [/quote]   YUK!!  Glad you enjoyed the paupiettes.  Apple in a dish of roasted veg is very nice too.
  2. [quote user="sweet 17"]   Mrs Bluecat, if you are out there, thank you for the mulled wine recipe.  It tasted wonderful.  The only change I made was to add some good quality fresh orange juice and some extra sucre vanillĂ© as there were some women who I knew prefer drinks to be less dry.   [/quote] Glad you liked it Sweets and as I say, it's a matter of taste; fresh orange juice would be good.  No doubt we'll soon be thinking of Sangria or Pim's!!
  3. [quote user="ErnieY"]I'm salivating ! [/quote] I thought you might be!!
  4. I've only ever roasted paupiettes de porc and normally treat them as a mini roast dinner.  My normal process is to quickly sear them in a fying pan to seal in the juices and then transfer into a dish with goose or duck fat that's been in the oven at 190C (sorry, don't know the gas mark) for between 30 and 40 minutes depending on how you like them.  Although I haven't tried this, it might be nice to core an apple cut into 8 slices and roast with the meat for about 15 minutes so there's still a bit of crunch in the apple I like to serve with diced potatoes roasted with rosemary; roast parsnips done in maple syrup and whatever green veg we have to hand.  I would also do whole roast shallots as well.  Alternatively, just serve the paupiettes on a bed of sauerkraut mixed with lardons and a serving of spiced red cabbage. Good luck with the mulled wine tomorrow Sweets
  5. Nurse has just been to do my jab so that's me done.  Get mine free 'cos I'm diabetic.  Surprised asthma isn't included though
  6. [quote user="Monika"]That would be great, Bluecat, thanks a lot![/quote]   Will let you know if a copy comes up Monika
  7. [quote user="Monika"] I am looking for a copy of "Sous les vents de Neptune" by Fred Vargas. I want to try to read it in French. I have read it in German, where it lost a lot of its atmosphere and I thought the translation was very longwinded, I also read it in English which was slightly better. I am sure the french version would be very atmospheric!? I would be very happy to pay something for it and also for postage. [/quote] Hi Monika If you haven't already looked, Amazon.fr are showing 2nd hand copies from 3€ + postage.  Have put a request on Bookmooch  so if one comes up, it will come here and then I could post on to you..  Good luck anyway.
  8. [quote user="Cendrillon"][quote user="Geranium"]Like many I guess, we would like to invite our neighbours (who we haven't met yet) as well as a few freinds around for an "apero" at lunchtime on 28th.  We'd like to print out a few inviations and pop them in letterboxes, but what do we say? Can anyone give us the general gist of  "Tom and Irene would like to invite you round for a festive drink at 12 noon on 28th December" please? Thank you [/quote] [B] Did you invite them and was it a good party?[8-|][/quote] How did your festive drinks go? This worked on our invites to our French guests and it was good to have neighbours we hadn't met before but to the English, we said "drinks and nibbles". Ernie et Margaret Sont contents de vous inviter Ă  notre L’apĂ©ritifs de NoĂ«l et canapĂ©s ....... (etc)
  9. [quote user="Russethouse"]  Off topic a tad, but does the name 'Bluecat' come from the movie 'Dougal and the Bluecat' ? Famous for the catch phrase 'I'd be better off in Barnsley' [:)][:)] (The only time I ever managed to fall asleep in a cinema !) [/quote]   Sorry for delay in responding but yes, it is from Dougal and the Bluecat "I'm from Buxton you know" being one of his phrases.  Used to have a vinyl of the story but must have given it away when the children grew up.  Found it on video a few years ago and bought for our daughter one Christmas.  Her words were "if you think I'm watching that you've got another think coming!"  Apparently it used to terrify and her brother as well as my brother-in-law and sister-in-law who, as children were living with us at the time.  Apparently, my continuous playing of said LP traumatised them all!!
  10. [quote user="sweet 17"] Thank you so much, Mrs Bluecat, for taking the trouble to post your mulled wine recipe.  It sounds just the ticket for this cold weather we're having. I did have other recipes but I have either lost them or I can't find them........... Cheers, Mrs Bluecat and a Very Happy New Year to you and Erns!   [/quote] Thanks Sweet17
  11. [quote user="sweet 17"] Nice picture, Erns and Well Done! Mrs Bluecat. Now, do give us the recipe for the mulled wine? [/quote] Mrs Bluecat here.  The mulled wine is to taste but I find the following works well. I prefer to prepare this the night before and leave unheated allowing the fruit to be steeped in the wine quite nicely as this, I feel, enhances the flavour. Allow one bottle of half decent cheap vin rouge for every 10 people so a pack of 4 at 7€ is usually ok.  Pour into a large couldron or heavy-based deep saucepan Add one bottle of tap water (one of the empties will do for capacity) and, if you like 50cl of sweet sherry Add the following ingredients to the wine and water mix: - Cut 4 clementines into quarters and the grated the rind of 2 lemons. One dessert spoon each of muscavado sugar and vanilla sugar per bottle of wine (4 dessert spoons of each).  If you don't have vanilla sugar, just add the same amount of caster sugar and either a vanilla pod or 5ml good quality vanilla essence. Four lengths of cinamen sticks, one vanilla pod or 2.5ml of good quality vanilla extract/essence, freshly grated nutmeg (one is enough), 4-6 cloves per bottle of wine and a small piece of ginger grated. If you want some extra spice, do the following: - Using a piece of muslin large enough to make a small bag when tied up (depending on how much dried fruit you think you'll put in), place a few  plump sultanas, raisins, candied peel (if desired), 2 finely chopped dates and dried, forzen or fresh cranberries.  Add to this one teaspoon of mixed spice (I never put powdered spice straight into the pot) and then, using uncoloured string, tie up the muslin bag.  Allow enough string to tie onto the handle of the cooking pot (saves phaffing around with the string when using the ladle for serving. At least 2 hours before your guests arrive bring the pot to the boil and then immediately switch off.  About a half hour later, taste the wine mix and adjust according to taste - for a sweeter taste add either vanilla sugar or caster sugar and for a less sweet taste, grate the rind of another lemon into the mix and, if need be, some of the juice. Return to the heat, bring to the boil and then turn off.  The liquid should remain warm enough to drink for a couple of hours but if necessary, reheat on simmer only.  I find a third boiling ruins the whole thing.  Alternatively if you have a slow cooker, decant into this and there'll be no risk of overheating.  This mixture does well in a vaccuum flask if you want to take some to a party.  Best served in glass tumblers. Enjoy  
  12. For translation, I find this one very good with the facility for each language to be heard as well.  It's quite intelligent too as can read words that aren't in it's dictionary but they can be added to it as well.  The site comes recommended by our French tutor but like all translation sites, it's still not perfect.  I find Babelfish the worst for inacuracy. www.Imtranslator.com This site is good for making contact with other language users:  www.sharedtalk.com  It's part of "The Rosetta Stone " language group Both are free  
  13. Balzac, Pagnol and Collette are my favourites.  Our reading group select two books for each reading session, one of which will always be a French author either in its' orginal language or translated. Our January French read is Françoise Sagan's "Bonjour Tirstesse" translated by Irene Ash. I look forward to being able to read a whole book in French but until that day arrives, it's good to get a feel for French literature and the French way of life of old. I have some English novels translated into French and, although they're not what I'd normally read (Daniells Steele), I know they will eventually help in my quest to read whole books in the langauge.
  14. Yes, thanks for sharing.  Agree on how man is not the intelligent creature he thinks he is.  
  15. [quote user="ErnieY"]- AND I get to do the washing up [:'(] [/quote] Think he must have been imagining things when he wrote this one!
  16. I wonder if everyone realises that the first thing most parents do is tell their children one of the biggest lies there is; that Santa exists.  Christmas used to mean something before the post-war, must have chaviness finally took hold, leaving the latter day parent being held to ransome by greed as their children, including the adult ones, are told what they need and must have by those running the great Christmas hijack.   What was wrong with the giving and receiving of homemade gifts, and a pillowcase on the end of your bed filled with delightful gifts with fruit and nuts and other little titbits that were the treat of the year and our parents lived within their means?  
  17. Have just done the first bit this morning with DVLA re the Certificate of Entitlement which took about 6 minutes  So far so good.
  18. [quote user="ErnieY"][quote user="nectarine"]Very funny!!  But ErnieY, tell us, is there a Mrs. ErnieY?   If so, she really does deserve a sainthood![/quote]Absolutely, on both counts, and she is a forum member too [:D] [/quote]   Yes, I do exist and it's nice of him to publicly recognise my saintliness!!
  19. [quote user="Cat"] I've just remembered that I had several premium bonds bought for me as a child, and found this site where it is possible to launch a search for possible wins for those (like me) who have no idea where the original paperwork has gone. http://www.mylostaccount.org.uk/   [/quote]   But if you still have your bonds, you can check for free here http://www.nsandi.com/   Oops, that'll teach me to read posts backwards; just found this info on an earlier post
  20. [quote user="Bugsy"]Slightly funny that Ernie is responding on a Premium Bond thread, don't you think [:D] [/quote] He's on MySpace too:  http://www.myspace.com/erniebond  I didn't think we had any secrets!!
  21. Didn't think I'd like this programme especially after the opening sequence but found it to be an interesting concept, marrying the history of France through it's culinaria (excuse the Italian).  I think Hussey's voice is absolutely right for this and I've enjoyed the fact that it's his spoken French rather than a translated dialogue we hear. 
  22. Excuse me!  Shouldn't that be "She who must be obeyed" dear heart?
  23. [quote user="Ern (formerly ErnieY)"]'er indoors generally looks after such things in our house but for those who might be interested I found THIS about suggested last posting dates.   Excuse me!  Shouldn't that be "She who must be obeyed" dear heart?
  24. I agree as I had no option to set up a season pass on my recorder either.  Looks interesting though.
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