test please delete

[NickFitz]

Another Christmas movie tonight: Die Hard 2 (1990). Not as good as the first; whereas that had a story that involved Bruce Willis in a load of action scenes, this seemed more like Bruce Willis in a load of action scenes with a story chucked in to justify them

But I carried on regardless with Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), which turned out not to be a Christmas movie but - and this is what made it better - a movie with a story that involved Bruce Willis in a load of action scenes

So, overall, Die Hard: With a Vengeance is a better film than Die Hard 2: Die Harder (dunno why IMDb omits the latter part of the title, BTW). No Christmas. But better.

And then some more of The West Wing, incorporating another Christmas special. I had one of those the other week so I must be getting through it by now; in fact, I'm *scrolls to the end* WTF only two-thirds of the way through? FFS

Ah well.

Goodnight all

[xoggoth]

Gordon Bennet! Die Hard, Wonderful Life. I often feel ancient because I'm always watching old programs on Drama. But then I look in on here and it makes me feel young.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Another Christmas movie tonight: Die Hard 2 (1990). Not as good as the first; whereas that had a story that involved Bruce Willis in a load of action scenes, this seemed more like Bruce Willis in a load of action scenes with a story chucked in to justify them

But I carried on regardless with Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), which turned out not to be a Christmas movie but - and this is what made it better - a movie with a story that involved Bruce Willis in a load of action scenes

So, overall, Die Hard: With a Vengeance is a better film than Die Hard 2: Die Harder (dunno why IMDb omits the latter part of the title, BTW). No Christmas. But better.

And then some more of The West Wing, incorporating another Christmas special. I had one of those the other week so I must be getting through it by now; in fact, I'm *scrolls to the end* WTF only two-thirds of the way through? FFS

Ah well.

Goodnight all

Think how different it would have been with Frank Sinatra instead.

Gordon Bennet! Die Hard, Wonderful Life. I often feel ancient because I'm always watching old programs on Drama. But then I look in on here and it makes me feel young.

This is the oldest we've watched so far, to the best of my recollection:

Frankenstein (1931) - IMDb


Morning.

Grey. Very Grey.

Dryish.

Dank.

Windless.

Misty.

Must go out & buy further supplies of that hideous cough mixture shortly.

Oh, and it's 15.9 deg in the living room, with 10 degrees in the dehumidified laundry room.

<hiatus>

Nice walk up to Tonna lock & back down to Morrisons.

Various supplies purchased there in.

I shall create some sort of casserole thing this afternoon.

It'll very probably be a disaster but I'm a bit bored with things at the moment.

It's quite warm out and after visiting some shops I was sweating.

Since I forgot the ibuprofen etc. this morning, everything now hurts.

I may fill in more potholes this afternoon coz there's feck all else of interest to do & it's clearing a patch where I can extend the garage (when I get a Round Tuit to suit).

[NickFitz]

Afternoon denizens

Grey day again, but dry and fairly mild

I wonder if M&S have got any pigs in blankets left? They flog them off dirt cheap after Christmas…

[NickFitz]

Sausage bap (wholemeal) for lunch

[DaveB]

Lunch was some chunks of Boxingday Gammon with pickles, and the last of the bubble and squeak and cauliflower cheese.

Been out this afternoon introducing the Doggo to our regular pubs and getting her used to walking around town when its busy. She's been a star. Once over the initial nerves on the high street she didn't bat an eyelid and stayed calm and well behaved the whole time. This is a dog who had never been taken for a walk other than from her kennel to the exercise field at the RSPCA before we got her.

Now sleeping off the excitement in order to have the energy to eat her tea in a bit

[DoctorStrangelove]

I may fill in more potholes this afternoon coz there's feck all else of interest to do & it's clearing a patch where I can extend the garage (when I get a Round Tuit to suit).

WDSS.

Plus got the Seicento running again sufficient to move it back & forth a bit.

Pleased with the repaired 50m extension lead.

Much less irritating with proper 13A sockets than it was with the pressed brass crap that I threw away.

Knackered now.

Lentil <pfffft> soup in the microwave, with the casserole thing simmering in the oven.

I have no idea how successful that will be since I just chucked it together.

[NickFitz]

Start with a quality spud - I recommend Maris Pipers grown in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, or Lincolnshire. Peel and slice as desired, then parboil, starting from cold water to which about a dessert spoon of clear refined malt vinegar has been added. (The vinegar isn't for flavouring, it's for inhibiting one of the chemical reactions that can cause them to break down during parboiling.) I usually time it by the simple process of bringing the (lidded) pan to the boil, then filling the kettle and keeping them at a simmer for as long as that takes to come to the boil. Tip the chips out into a colander, and use the water from the kettle to rinse away any starchy foam that remains.

Once shaken and so forth to lose as much water as possible, spread out on kitchen roll on baking tray, or similar, and leave out to dry as much as possible.

Heat the deep fat fryer to 160ºC, and fry until the surface is just starting to acquire some colour and is on the verge of starting to become crispy. (If necessary, you can do this step in multiple batches.)

Shake off as much oil as you can, and again spread out on a tray on kitchen roll. This time, also put a layer of kitchen roll on top, and press it down so you absorb as much surface oil as possible.

(If you want to finish some to eat now, set them aside and skip the next step for them.)

Once they've cooled to room temperature, put them in the freezer for a few hours. Once frozen, they can be shaken or peeled from the kitchen roll and bagged up.

To finish them, either from frozen or having been set aside before freezing: heat the fryer to 190ºC, and fry for as long as it takes for them to assume the correct golden hue and level of delicious crispiness.

Sorted

For the record, I have recently taken to doing the final phase at a temperature of around 175 to 180°C; it takes a bit longer but still gives excellent results, and there's a reduced risk of the chips being a little overdone if you end up leaving them in for an extra thirty seconds or so

[NickFitz]

Lentil <pfffft> soup in the microwave, with the casserole thing simmering in the oven.

I have no idea how successful that will be since I just chucked it together.

They often turn out best that way

[DoctorStrangelove]

They often turn out best that way

It's got half a bottle of red wine and some Marmite in it to give it a bit of flavour since there's no NaCl anywhere near it.

<hiatus with burned tongue>

Lentil <pfffft> soup was ok.

The casserole was okish.

The xmas pud (about a quarter thereof) with brandy sauce and brandy butter was very nice.

Stuffed now.

Sat down drinking my tea and listening to some nutjob whose father was on the kindertransport investigating how to gain German citizenship.

Which sounds like A Very Silly Idea Indeed to me.