Two Hour House Cleaning Check List

                                                     

Cleaning is Cool

There is an obsession with house cleaning at the moment influenced by the Netflix series based on Marie Kondo's The Life Changing Magic of Cleaning Up.
I trained as a Home Economist back in the 1960s , a time when women were expected stay at home and devote their lives to house cleaning, cooking , bringing up baby and having a hot meal ready the minute your man walked through the door, all on a tight budget.There was about enough time for the occasional coffee morning or afternoon tea with a friend but  the daily clean was a dominant occupation of many women's lives. For a long time my job as a home economics teacher was to train girls to carry on this tradition .
Nothing wrong with the cooking part ,but constant cleaning, forget it.

My House Cleaning Check list- you should be able to do this in 2 hours.

•  No fit adult or child over 10 should expect another human being to flush away their poo from the loo , clean up their spittle and toothpaste from a washbasin or make their bed.
• Nag kids and partners until they understand this.

1. After breakfast put on a load of laundry,garments only on a short programme.
2. Put the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher or wash by hand. 
3. Wipe kitchen surfaces.
4. Collect all trash in one large plastic bag and take out.
5. Collect all the towels from the bathroom(s).Spray  and wipe bathroom surfaces ,clean toilets.
6. Put first load of laundry to dry and replace with towels or linen on a hot wash.
7. Dust  main communal rooms if necessary and vacuum the floors.Open the windows while this is done.
8. Fold the dry laundry

Stop after 2 hours. Make your morning coffee, sit down , take a break and enjoy you clean home.

 Additional weekly jobs 

Mop the kitchen and bathroom floors. 

Check the fridge for stale food and wipe clean.

Vacuum stairs and bedrooms.

  Cleaning products for kitchen and bathroom floors

 Buy cleaning products that are fit for purpose and a large supply of soft cloths.These are some of my favourites.
This stuff is brilliant ,it cleans floors rapidly without the need for buckets and hot water.It is hard to find in supermarkets so I sent for the three pack as soon as I start to run out.



                                        



The bathroom 


                                         

                                                                                     

 Flash bathroom cleaner is great for a daily swipe around the toilet,washbasin and bath.Finish the shower with a good dose the shower spray while it is still wet after you have used it  and it will dry clean.
I live in a very hard water area which causes deposits on taps and shower heads. Use  Viakal  once a week to clear these annoying deposits.

Follow the instructions on the containers and only use the cleaners for the purpose for which they were intended. 

The Kitchen

                                                                                      

Use a degreaser like Dettol Power on kitchen surfaces, Flash for floor cleaning.

                                          

Communal room surfaces

   Specialist surface cleaners for wood, leather and glass give the best results.
     I have tried many spot carpet cleaners and prefer Dr Beckmann with the brush attached.




                                                                   


A daily cleaning routine will help you keep on top of things and mean that on difficult days you can leave things until you have more time.A tidy house makes for a calmer family.
 

Coffee and Cake

So good to sit in the warm kitchen when the temperature outside is below freezing and enjoy the remains of the Christmas cake  and a cup of coffee.

                                          

                                 

The Cake

Grandma's War ,No Sweets or Chocolate

There were virtually no sweets or candy for civilians  during WW 2 owing to the absence of sugar and the difficulty of importing cocoa beans.The troops deservingly seemed to have access to some of these things .When my father came home on leave from the army he would open his kit bag and share the stuff that he had saved up and we had all tiny amounts of Mars Bars and Fry's Chocolate Cream .Sweet rationing continued until well after the war.
No wonder my age group still love these treats. I will remember them while I  have an expensive trip to the dentist on Friday.


                                     

                                                                    

                                       


                                          

Grandma's War -Snoek

The loss of the fishing industry owing to enemy attacks on fishing boats and the mining of beaches meant an absence of the cheap but tasty and nutritious fish like herring and mackerel from the UK diet.

Desperate to replace this the government arranged for cans of a fish called Snoek to be imported from South Africa.

I remember being given this in a fish pie at the kindergarten that I attended and was thoroughly told off because I was unable to eat the vile smelling grey mush that  made me retch.It had this effect on many people and remained on the shop shelves eventually being renamed and sold off for cat food.

 

 

 

 

                                                                               

                                     




                                

Grandma's War 1942

 By 1942 the war was seriously underway and supplies of the foods that were  imported into the UK were interrupted by U boats and other attacks on merchant shipping.The BBC made this series some years ago showing the problems and how food rationing and the governent attempted to deal with it.

I liked dried egg.

 

A war time childhood and "J'Attendrai" (Jean Sablon)

I think I might use this blog to record some memories of my early childhood. Born in 1941 most of these recollections will in some way reflect what was going on around me in World War 2 in England.
One of my earliest memories is of my father, his brothers and a French Canadian married to a cousin gathering at my grandmother's house when they all had a short leave.They had been serving in France and wanting to show off their French,they sang this song together with my father playing the piano.It still has the power to move me to tears.I can see them in uniform now ,of course I was too young to realise that they never knew if they would see any of us again.

T

OVER RIPE BANANAS

                                                                           

The bananas in my fruit bowl are looking like this as the hot weather speeds up the ripening process.Time to turn them into this easy all in one loaf cake.

                                                        Banana Loaf
         Recipe

100g softened butter
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas that have been mashed until smooth
225g self raising flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk


Method 

1. Heat the oven to 180C,Fan160c,Gas4.Line a large (900g)loaf tin with a baking parchment liner
2. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes.Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin.Smooth the surface
3.  Bake for about an hour until golden ,well risen and firm to touch
4.  Cool in the tin for a few minutes then cool on a wire rack.
5. Butter thick slices  if you like but butter is not really needed.

Summer Shoes for Grandma

Summer Shoes


This summer I have had knee problems  and have been thankful that I have a selection of Gabor shoes which are so comfortable to wear and support me when walking without looking orthopaedic.They are worth every penny.
 This is my latest style, the wedge heel gives me some height and the silver finish some summer glamour.
They are avalable in a wide fitting,just perfect for me.

                                                    

                                   














                                                       

What Grandma is reading and watching

 

 

  Books Grandma is Reading, TV programmes she is watching

Tangerine

  Two young women with a shared history of going to the same college meet up in Tangiers .A convoluted story which dragged on with various unlikely characters added to hold it together. A silly story  of jealousy, love and loss which  I finished although I felt like giving up several times.Might be a good read if you are visiting Tangiers.

My Cousin Rachel -- Daphne du Maurier

Seeing the recent film has sent me back to reread this book .A master story teller at work here with the mysterious widow of wealthy landowner Ambrose arriving in Cornwall to stay with his nephew and heir, Philip.Is Rachel  a truly heart broken widow or a manupulative adventuress?A beautifully written book ,unable to put it down.The film is good too with Rachel Weisz as Rachel.

Do not buy the abridged Kindle version, it is very poorly adapted.

 

  The Couple Next Door--Shari Lapena

Although on the best seller list I found this book rather tedious with the story going round in circles.

 A couple go to a dinner party next door and foolishly leave their baby daughter alone,unattended in their own house.She disappears and what follows unravels the relationships between family members and their ambitions and secrets.An okay read for a journey or on the beach.Silly ending

 

 

Anne With An E -Netflix

I loved this adaptation of Anne of Green Gables .A darker view is examined of the welfare of orphans put up for adoption or put out to work in Canada in the late 1800s.The photography is superb, especially the winter snow  scenes .Geraldine James as Aunt Marilla is moving and dignified as she finds herself becoming attached to the orphan Anne .

 

The Handmaid's Tale -Margaret Atwood

This award winning book has been made into a 10 part TV series that is compulsory viewing.Offred ,played by Elizabeth Moss is the narrator in a state run by Gilead.This strict fundamentalist world has become infertile and the few fertile women available become the handmaidens of an elite whose high ranking men try to impregnate them.

Costumes copied from paintings by Vermeer add to the bleak washed out world of fear and repression that has references to the present world of Trump's America.

  Since writing this review there as been a second series.Enjoyable but not as good as the original adaptation

TEA BREAD

Tea bread sliced and buttered  is delicious and economical for tea time and  for packed lunches .Good with a cup of coffee too.



                                                                                                

 TEA BREAD 

375 ml (3/4  pint) cold tea saved from the tea pot.
350 grams mixed dried fruit
175 grams soft brown sugar
250grams self-raising flour
1 beaten egg

Method 

1. Put the tea,sugar, and dried fruit into a bowl and leave to soak for at least 1 hour ,preferably overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C,Gas 4 ,
3. Line a 1kg loaf tin or 8 inch cake tin
4. Sieve the flour into the fruit mixture ,add the egg and beat well.
5. Put the mixture into the loaf tin  and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until golden and firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean 
6. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out and cool on a wire rack
7.  When cold slice thickly and serve buttered

MOCHA CAKE USING A CAKE MIX TO CHEAT (a little)

 There are some excellent cake mixes on the market, take advantage of them

                                                MOCHA CAKE

                                                                   

Mocha is a delicious combination of chocolate and coffee.This method uses a cake mix topped with a mocha chocolate icing.

I packet Betty Crocker  Devils Food cake mix

3 teaspoons instant coffee

water, eggs and oil as described on the packet

for the frosting

5 tablespoons Apricot jam -slightly warm

150 grams dark chocolate (e.g. Bournville)

4 tablespoons black coffee

150 grams  sieved icing sugar

method

1.  Line 2x  8 or 9 inch cake tins
2.  Add the instant coffee to the water needed for the cake mix
3.  Follow the instructions on the packet ,leave the cakes to become cold  before attempting the frosting
4. The Frosting
5. Fill the 2 halves of the cake with most of apricot jam and sandwich them together.
6. Brush the remaining apricot jam over the top of the cake
   
7. Put the chocolate squares and coffee into a basin over a pan of hot water until the chocolate has melted then beat in the icing sugar
8. Pour the frosting over the cake and smooth with a round bladed knife dipped in hot water.Work quickly .

                     Allow to set for at least 1 hour before serving
       Good enough for a party dessert when served with thick cream .This cake can also be made as a tray bake-- omit the apricot jam filling.

CHOCOLATE CAKE-very easy

Lemon Drizzle Cake

 Requests for something to take to end of term school parties,picnics, church garden parties and bake sales have come in thick and fast this week.

         Here is an easy recipe for  a popular cake. Cakes do not have to be smothered with fancy frosting and icing which takes time, melts and squashes when travelling and adds sugar .

A stock of cake tin liners saves a lot of hassle and avoids the annoyance of cakes sticking in the tin. Sainburys and Lakeland have good stocksof these.The round ones can be cut down to fit in shallow sandwich cake tins.

                                                                             

                                                 Lemon Drizzle Cake

                                                                               

                                                                                                           

                     For The Cake

                75 g softened butter

                125g caster sugar

                150g self raising flour

                1 tsp baking powder

                2 medium eggs

                1 tablespoon lemon curd.

                 2  and 1/2  tablespoons milk

                 For The Drizzle

                     finely grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon

                     2 tablespoons granulated sugar

                                 

                 Method

1.  Heat the oven to 180 C
2.  Line a 1kg loaf tin.                  
3.  Beat the cake ingredients together until thoroughly combined 
4.  Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes .                               
5.  The cake should be firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean           
6.  While the cake bakes make the drizzle  .
7.  Mix the juice, rind and sugar together
8.  Pour the drizzle over the cake while it is still very hot from the oven ,this will form a delicious lemon  crust  and moisten the  cake ,                  
9. Leave to cool completely before serving                    

                     

                  

                 

Cambridge Summer

Summer is a great time to visit Cambridge. There are so many  wonderful places to visit.A good place to relax in the evening is Quayside ride on a punt and then visit the nearby bars and restaurants.

Grandma's Weekend Supermarket Buys from Aldi and Ocado

As a professional home economist I am always looking for ways to keep the  shopping bills down without compromising quality.

I save on cleaning materials by a big shop of household cleaning products from Aldi. They all work well ,I cannot afford to ignore how much cheaper they are than branded products from other supermarkets.


                                                                        

The disadvantage of shopping here is having to visit the store and lug heavy stuff home.

Ocado delivery service is one I frequently use ,always worth looking out for special offers, this week they have a good offer lamb shanks , not the cheapest dish but a delicious ,easy supper for the bank holiday weekend.Serve with jacket potatoes and frozen peas. You need one per person.

FRUIT CAKE- very easy method

I now make all my rich fruit cakes this way  avoiding the awful creaming process and worrying about curdling eggs or the mixture being too dry.

It can be  made in advance and allowed to mature in an airtight container or is very good made last minute if you have run out of time. This a delicious cake for Christmas or Thanksgiving, one you can cut and come again.

I buy small bottles of orange oil, Sainsburys  have it ,it gives a lovely,intense aromatic flavour to any fruit cake and cuts out having to grate oranges.

I  keep a stock of ready shaped parchment cake tin liners available from Lakeland or Sainsburys ,I line the cake tin with 2 together ,no more cutting up parchment paper and trying to get it to fit. Life is too short.

Recipe-Boiled Fruit Cake

• 1 kg mixed dried fruit--currants, raisins, sultanas, mixed peel, glace cherries, chopped dried apricots, (whatever fruit you like as long as it adds up to I kilogram)
• 250 g.butter
• 275g. soft dark sugar
• 250 ml.port or sherry (plus extra for painting on top)
• 60 ml water
• 2tsp orange oil (zest of 2 oranges)
• 4 eggs well beaten
• 225g plain flour
• 75g self raising flour
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 165 g ground almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven,to 150C or130C fan
2. Grease and line a deep 8 inch cake tin
3. Place fruit, sugar, water,butter sherry/port and orange into a large saucepan. Heat gently, stir gently with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted and then bring the mixture up to the boil for 4 minutes. 
4. Remove the pan from the heat and leave until it is cool enough to  put you hand on the side of the pan-- this will take about 15 minutes.Take care
5. Beat the eggs into the cooled mixture and then fold in the dry ingredients.
6. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 3 hours.I put some foil over the top half way through to prevent the top from becoming too dark
7. Remove from the oven and paint with extra sherry/port.
8. Cool the cake in the tinthen remove the cake from the tin and finish cooling
9. Store until needed wrapped in foil in an airtight tin
10. The cake is delicious as it is but it may be decorated with traditional marzipan and icing
11. I prefer to finish the cake by brushing it with warmed apricot jam , crystallized fruit and nuts on the top and then finish with more warmed apricot jam brushed over that.





Mixing the ingredients in a large saucepan



Baked and cold.

Finishing the cake.

The Crown and Netflix

The weather is cold and damp ,this is the time of year to stay at home, catch up with some TV programmes and start some baking for Christmas time.

I have signed up for Netflix and  been totally absorbed by the series The Crown.The 1940s and 1950s of my childhood has been beautifully captured ,wonderful acting and exquisite attention to detail in the costumes and settings.
A moving performance of the farewell of King George VI to Princess Elizabeth before his sudden death took me right back to the day at school in 1952 when I was 10 years old and teacher came into the class room and announced his death. Our  nice class teacher burst into tears and we were sent home for the afternoon.
As children we were shocked to see how vulnerable an adult could be.


                                                                       

WINDOWS 10 upgrade disaster

 Ignore those nagging ads to upgrade to windows 10 that keep appearing on your screen.I have been unable to use my PC for a week since attempting this upgrade and have had to ask for professional help to repair the damage.

DO NOT  DOWNLOAD WINDOWS 10


                                                                             

The Scream--- E.Munch