We didn't get around to trying the slow cooker crumble yesterday, but I served some up after lunch today. To my horror, when I took it out of the fridge I discovered that the crumble appeared to have set like concrete. Nononono.... I levered some chunks out with a stout knife with the images of our neighbour across the road using a pneumatic drill to break up his concrete drive last year running like a video replay through my head.
I persevered, putting each bowl of crumble into the microwave in turn to heat up. Oh my lucky stars - the topping softened up, and with custard poured over it was pretty good.
We've half left over for tomorrow too.
When I was looking for recipes yesterday I found this one somewhere; take two cans apple pie filling, and one packet of cake mix... needless to say I didn't read further. I think it was an American recipe.
It reminds me of an article I read in Woman or Woman's Own or similar, back in the late 70s when I was a newly-wed. It was about a man bringing up his family on his own, and his two home-made recipes were a pie filling and crumble mix apple crumble, and a tinned minced beef, frozen peas and Smash potato cottage pie. The rest of the article involved teaching him how to make crumbles and cottage pies from scratch, and also an excellent boiled fruit cake which I still make today. I must look out the recipe.
I'm doing daily sketches in September, at least that's the plan.
I've done a couple of inky efforts,
I tried making apple crisps in the air fryer today. It was fairly successful; core an apple and slice it thinly an eighth of an inch thick, spread the pieces in the basket (you can layer them). Cook at 150C for 16 mins, shaking the basket every five mins. My slices definitely dried, but were mostly still soft. They were delicious though. I meant to photograph them but I ate them before I remembered.
I stumbled across a different method for duvet covers recently. You start with the duvet cover inside-out. Place the duvet on top of the cover, and then roll it up tightly starting from the closed end. Once it's rolled up, push the entire rolled-up-duvet through the open end in the cover. Then unroll and the duvet is magically inside the duvet cover!
ReplyDeletehttps://danverbraganza.com/writings/an-easier-way-to-replace-a-duvet-cover is where I found it.
This I must try!
DeleteEven easier......forgo the duvet! I prefer the old fashioned crisp sheets and wool blankets. Warm and more likely to stay in place than a duvet.
ReplyDeleteNot for me, sorry! But I have been eyeing up the duvets that don't need a cover... but we'd need a bigger washing machine
DeleteMy apple crumble topping used to set like concrete too. Then I stopped doing the “press down firmly” step and it has been fine ever since. My mincemeat slices also used to suffer but they do have to be pressed down or they just fall apart so I just have to do a gentle press down on them.
DeleteI remember those mincemeat slices!
DeleteI'm an inside out duvet person. Your woman's own reminiscence reminds me of a very old joke. Newlywed husband comes home. Wife puts plate of food in front of him. He eats it in silence whilst she watches him anxiously then he says "thank you darling, delicious" Wife replies "mummy always says shepherds pie and apple crumble are my two best dishes" Husband says"and which was that dear? "
ReplyDeleteOh dear!
DeleteI spent some time sewing pieces of strong tape (probably from my grandmothers sewing box) onto the top two corners and middle of my duvet and two of the heavier covers. When I was feeling less than energetic I found it an easy way to ensure the top of the duvet and the top of the cover actually stayed together through the effort of getting the rest of it in place!
Delete…… and further from yesterday, my BB is also head chef here - but we were late to the air fryer party - and bought a two drawer one, so mostly it’s ok if I use one!!!!
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DeleteThe tape idea sounds good. Also having a drawer each in the air fryer sounds a great idea!
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