21 Foods British Families Ate to SURVIVE 1970s Winters

Fray Bentos pies, loved those

Canned corn beef hash, have a can of that in the cupboard....

Spam fritters, haven't had that in years.........

Findus pancakes, I had forgotten about them..........

Instant potatoes, I remember them, and the advert........

Vesta curries.......don't remember those, but remember the name.

Liver and onions, still a firm favourite for me, with plenty of mashed potatoes.....

Cauliflower with cheese sauce, we often have this for supper by itself, and yes I add mustard to my cheese sauce.

Toad in the hole, haven't had this in a while.

Lancashire hotpot, haven't had that in years........

Mince and tatties, yum!

Bread and dripping, never remember having it.

Fish finger sandwiches.............my mother always tells me if she had to pick her last meal on earth it would be a fish finger sandwich.........

Bubble and squeak, loved it........

Semolina with jam always loved it.  Loved rose hip syrup also with it.  I now have a craving for that......

Angel Delight..........it was a treat...

Artic Roll..........I think you can still get those, always enjoyed that........

Tinned pears with evaporated milk, we also had tinned peaches........don't have them now because of the sugar in the juices

Beef stew and dumplings, I remember those as well

Margarine on toast.........had that........

Tripe and onions, don't remember having that at all........

From that list, the way I cook is very influenced from the 1970's.  I also remember when the electric/hydro went out as well.   

Dollar Stores...............

Not sure about where you live, but when I go to the dollar store, there is very little in the store that actually only costs a dollar?  I go to two main chains of dollar stores, Dollarama which is a Canadian chain and Dollar Tree which is US chain.  Dollar Tree, I think things are either $1.50 or $1.75 each.  However many, many things are much higher.

In Dollarama, their prices are all over the place.  I picked up a 2 package of Command Hooks for $4.25 the other day.  A loaf of bread for $2.  The name brand cleaning products can be $3+.  Now granted it's still generally cheaper than the regular stores, but gone are the days of everything being a dollar.

In Canada the food sold in the dollar stores are all shelf stable foods, whereas in the States, they sell frozen foods also.  I do find it interesting how many videos there are out there of people cooking full meals only using food purchased from the dollar stores, like the one below.

Do you shop at dollar stores?  Have you found their prices increasing?

Pots and Pans............

I need new saucepans.  I am fed up with buying them, saying they are non-stick and only lasting a short while before everything starts stinking to the bottom of them.

So I am looking for recommendations.  Do you have a brand that you swear by?  Extra points if it's a Canadian brand!!

Currently I own Heritage, The Rock brand from Canadian Tire.  These ones:

Our son has this set from Our Place.  I used them when we last babysat and thought they were good, but they are pretty pricy.

I have seen on the internet, people using pans that the handles come off, that may save on storage space?  I have had T-Fal in the past and been happy.  For reference, I cook on an electric flat top stove.

I am willing to pay a lot more, if I know they will last.

A Good Sunday Morning to you............

 

or your tea!

Hope this Sunday is a time to recharge your internal batteries...........have a restful one........😊

Lucky Girl

 I finally remembered to show you what the kids got me for Christmas.

A burgundy suede Kate Spade bag.  I love burgundy handbags and I love suede handbags and there is a reason why.

Back when I was 18 I had a combination 18th birthday and engagement party.  At that party which was held at the local cricket club there was a knock at the door and I was told to answer it and there was my aunt and her friend all the way from Canada.  My aunt is my god mother.  It was a total surprise.

Anyhow, my aunt gave me a penny for each day I had been on this earth, and her friend Helen gave me a burgundy suede handbag.  I loved that handbag....I mean I really loved it.  And ever since then I have always loved burgundy suede handbags.

I go shopping at the end of August with daughter and the two grand daughter's for back to school shopping, and every time we are in the mall, we always call in at Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Coach to look at the handbags.  I saw this one then, but wouldn't buy it for myself.

Daughter had gone back and bought it as a joint Christmas gift with her brother.  You know what's funny though.  When we were downtown Toronto last month, I called in at the Kate Spade store and once again went back and forth over whether I should buy this bag or not.  I couldn't justify paying $400 + for it.  

I am very, very lucky to have such generous kids.

Toronto kid ‘exhausted’ and going viral after shovelling rant

This happened in 2022, BUT I think this is how we are all feeling about the winter we are having here in Southern Ontario this year!!!  Only 63 days until March 20th, 2026 and Spring!!!

I learned something new..........

 

I bought a five pack of avocado's last week, as they were on sale for $2 for a pack of 5.  I had only got around to using the one and they were going soft.  

So I went on the internet to see if you could freeze avocado's.  They said the best was was to puree first, then freeze.  Didn't know that?

It also said you can use avocado's in place of butter when baking at a 1 : 1 ratio.  Didn't know that either?

I normally only use avocado's raw and sliced in salad's.  What's your favourite way of using avocado's?

Are you like me.........

 

I am not sure whether I am coming or going with all that is going on in the world at the moment?  I could say a lot more but don't want to be drawn into a debate regarding politics...............

Nothing to say...........

 

(image credit)

That's about the gist of it for me today!

Tim Hortons App

I have the Tim Hortons App on my phone and it has a number of things on the front page of the app when you open it as you can see from the photo below.  Now you don't have to be a regular at Tim Hortons to get points which you can put towards rewards, you can earn points towards free coffee other ways.  By the way 400 points is what you need to redeem for a free coffee.

As you can see from the photo, there is something called Tim's Word Challenge, you can earn points there by solving the word puzzle.  It's also a great way of keeping your mind active and thinking!!

You will also see Tim's NHL Hockey Challenge.

Now before you say you know nothing about NHL Hockey, let me tell you I know diddly about sports in general.  

What you do is each day you have to pick out three players from various teams they offer you and if they score you get points.  If you guess one correctly, you get 10 points, 2 correctly, 50 points and if you guess three correctly you get 100 points.  If you guess at least one correctly each day for 7 days, you get a free cup of coffee every day for 1 week.  As you can see in the top right hand corner I have guessed correctly 7 days in a row.

So it's free coffee for me for a week!!!

I'll say again I know diddly squat about hockey, I am doing this just to earn points to redeem at Tim's.  The way I choose the players are by only choosing guys who play in a forward position.  You know that as they have a "F" after their name.  The defense guys have a "D" after their names, so it's idiot proof!!  Even I know defense guys don't score as often 🙄

Then this is the really technical bit..............are you ready.........I pick what name I like that day.  I remember one day there were a lot of Connor's, so picked three Connor's............I mean all die hard hockey fans are now groaning in horror..........told you I am clueless when it comes to hockey.

So for the Canadians out there if you have a phone with apps on it, get the Timmie's app and score free points for free things.  Also make sure you add your birthday as you get a freebie on your birthday as well!!

By the way I will not be running out every day just to get a coffee, but when I am out I will take advantage of it!

28 days, 28 items.............

I thought I'd give you a heads up on this, but during the month of February I am going to put one item a day that I do not use or need into a garbage bag, and at the end of the month I will donate all items.

I was wondering if anyone else would like to join in with me?

Some things to donate would be clothing from your closet.  Shoes, hats, belts. 

Books, puzzles, games, toys.

From your kitchen, extra dishes, cups, cutlery.    Extra pictures, ornaments etc.

Extra craft supplies, like balls of wool, bags of notions.

Sheets, blankets and towels from your linen closet to give to the animal shelter.

Or you could put one item of food in a box each day for the month to donate to the food bank.  Even packages of pasta, ramen or a tin of soup each day would be a help and not too expensive.  Buying things on special would be a good way of adding too your box also.

I will give you another head's up closer to the end of the month, then during February I will post each day with what I have put into my bag.

Getting rid of 28 things in our house, would be helpful too kick start a Spring of decluttering.

Also for those Type A personalities; you know who you are....LOL  You could do a bag of things to donate and a box of food to donate.........

Is this something that interests you?  Do you have any other ideas of what to donate and/or to whom?

(P.S. giving you this heads, up will also give you a head start on gathering things together!!)

Another finish

 As the weather has been miserable, I hunted out another puzzle that I bought when we were on vacation last September.

It's another 1,000 piece one and was quite hard I found.  Too much white and too much green...LOL

However it was really pretty.

This puzzle along with the other two I did this month have already been donated with a bunch of other things, as I am doing a bit of decluttering as well.  The spare bedroom already looks so much better.  Like books, puzzles I only make the once; books I generally never read more than the once!

Now back to reading!

Too Good To Go

 I picked up a Too Good To Go box from Tim Hortons yesterday.

I paid $4.99and got 5 muffins, 3 blueberry, and 2 fruit explosion and 3 old fashioned plain donuts.

Now, when I went to pick up the box, they gave me one with 3 raisin muffins in them and so I said to them that we do not like raisins and I knew there was another box, so asked to see that one.  They told me they don't do that but would make an exception this time.   This one had one raisin muffin in it, so she took that out and put a blueberry one in from the original box.

Was it worth the $4.99?  I would say not.  The muffins were good, but I buy the reduced ones from other stores and pay generally between $3 to $4 for 6 at half price and they are as good.  The other box had more variety of items but we would have thrown out the muffins as we don't like them.  I have seen other's showing what they got and it was a lot more.

I also enquired about the fruit and salad box in Metro and they wanted $11.99 for a bag, but I find their reduced salads, iffy at the best of times, so wasn't willing to take a chance on spending $11.99 and having to throw it all out.

Have you tried these reduced mystery boxes or bags of things from stores?

Run Away | Official Trailer | Netflix

We watched this series over three nights as there were 8 episodes.

As with all the series based on Harlan Coben books you spend your time watching these in, a state of confusion, then joy, then confusion.  As one minute you have no idea what or who is who.  Then you finally figure things out (so joy) only for another twist to occur and be back to square one and totally confused again.

The first couple of episodes I was trying to figure out who was who and how they knew one another.  By episode three things were becoming a little clearer.  I was loving episodes 4, 5 and 6 and couldn't wait to watch the last two episodes.  Episode 7 was also good, but I was honestly disappointed with episode 8 and how it ended.

I was left feeling there was more to be said and the story hadn't ended.  The actors were spot on though, and were really good, especially Dee Dee played by Maeve Courtier-Lilley.  You just had to look into Dee Dee's eyes and could see she was as mad as a box of frogs....LOL

Glad I watched it, but wouldn't say it was my favourite Harlan Coben adaptation.  

By the way I have never read any of Harlan's books either, so can't say which one is better, the tv series or the books.

Did you watch it?

Absolutely drained................

On Tuesday I had a hair appointment for a trim.  Fair enough.  I have a love/hate relationship with hairdressers and I hate paying a lot for a simple haircut.  However, I try to go on a Tuesday at this place when it's "only" $20 plus tax for a haircut and I leave a $5 tip, so it comes in at under $28.  Also I have now "trained" the hairdresser in the way I want my hair cut....LOL  Still, I always find the whole thing a little stressful.

After that hubby and I went for a coffee.  We then went to Home Depot to spend just under $1,000 on a new dryer.  Went with another LG one.  Getting free delivery and more importantly they are taking the old one away for us.  Hubby will strip out the electronics from the old one, as they will fit the new one, if need be.  It won't be here until next Tuesday, but nothing we can do about that.

Then we went to CAA to get some travel insurance for an upcoming trip.  That is where the s*it hit the fan as they say!!!  We got a woman who knew best and wouldn't listen.  Suffice to say by the time we left there we felt as though we had run a marathon.

We had decided before going to CAA that once we had sorted out the insurance we would go to Panera Bread for lunch as we have a gift card.  We walked into the store and just looked at the menu and neither of us could decide what to order, so walked out and went home for lunch.

We sat down in our chairs and we both said at the same time, we felt so drained with it all, despite not doing anything much all morning.

I have never felt so tired/old/drained in all my life.  How one person could make both of us feel so drained is mind boggling.

Hubby then had to call CAA as he has to talk to the underwriters for his travel insurance.  Good news his was "only" around $340 for 8 days, whereas mine went up $30 to nearly $80 for the 8 days.

The rest of the day was spent sitting in our chairs watching soccer on tv and staring into space..............

Have you ever left a place and felt totally drained and unable to make a simple decision like what you want for lunch?????

Drat.............

I hope this isn't going to be any indication of how 2026 is going to be moving forward.........

My dryer is on the fritz.  It's an LG dryer and I have had it around 7 years.  I have always had good luck with LG appliances, but this dryer has already had multiple electronic boards replaced, and it looks as though they have gone again.  So I may be on the lookout for a new dryer.  I don't expect to see much change out of $1,100 (13 % tax included )

I do like a glass door on it, otherwise no other preferences.  I know it would be cheaper to go without a dryer and just hang to dry in the house, but I am at a stage where "the easier, the better," is the way to go!

I was told to stay well away from Samsung, but if anyone has any recommendations I am all ears.......

Lazy Sunday...........

 I had a lazy Sunday yesterday.

Did manage to get a load of laundry done.  Popped to Costco to pick up a few bits and bobs, so I don't have to leave the house today.

I then alternated between reading my book "Fly Girls," and doing another 1,000 piece puzzle.  

Supper was a frozen PC Veggie Lasagna.  We had the regular size not the club size.  Enough leftover for hubby's lunch today.  It is really good.

Then we finished the day with watching the Netflix Show "Run Away," based on the book by Harlen Coben.  I will review that another day.

All in all a great way to spend a snowy Sunday.

What did you do on Sunday?

30 Foods That Are Normal In Britain But Nowhere Else

Beans on toast is a staple!!  Just plain no other things in it like onions or bacon.

Chip butty, lashings of butter, nothing else needed.

Marmite on toast, I will pass!!

Black pudding, used to like, wouldn't touch it with a barge pole now!

Jellied eel's........YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!!

Crisp sandwich........I wrote about that just a month or two ago.......yummy!

Scotch eggs..........love them, haven't made them in a while......

Toad in the hole........love these, especially with gravy

Suet puddings are good, but not with the dried fruit in it.

Not sure if I have had faggot's before.........

Tripe and onion..........no, no, no..........seriously NO!!

Bubble and squeak, always loved that.

Mushy peas, love them with fish and chips.......

Steak and Kidney pudding........normally have the pie rather than the pudding

Laverbread, never heard of it.

Whelks, I may have had them but don't remember when.

Pork pies..........just love them

Pie and mash with liquor.........we would have gravy, liquor is a southern thing.

Fried bread, yum, had that as a kid

Branston Pickle..........nope do not like that at all.......

Bovril, always had a cup of that after swimming as a kid, or was it OXO..........

Heinz salad cream, haven't had it in years, always enjoyed it.

Cockles and winkles, had them as a kid

Monster Munch, loved those as a kid.

Cornish Pasty, love them, prefer them warm or hot.

Battered sausage, enjoy them as well.

Weetabix, hubby has two of these every day for his breakfast.

Mince Pies, are nasty!!!  Full of dried fruits, which I hate.

Pot Noodles, love them, ate a lot of them...

Bread and Butter Pudding, love that as long as it doesn't have raisins or sultana's in them

Well that was a walk down memory lane!

Pig of a week...

 weather wise.

We have run the full gamut of wind, snow, rain, freezing rain and sun.  December has to have been the snowiest month in a number of years.  We have snow coming out of our Ying Yang.  Normally it only snows like this starting the end of this month.  

So I hunted out the two puzzles I got for Christmas and made them.

The first one was only 500 pieces, and an easy one, so got that done in one afternoon/evening.

This one was 1000 pieces, and a lot harder, so I did this one over a few days.

Both will be donated.  I must admit, I do enjoy doing a puzzle.  Do you?

Books I read in December

 "The Good Daughter, by Karin Slaughter"

Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…

Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.

Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever…

Packed with twists and turns, brimming with emotion and heart, The Good Daughter is fiction at its most thrilling.

I think this is the first book I have read by Karin Slaughter?  It had my attention right from the get go.  What I liked about this book was the twists and turns in it.  You think you know where it's going, then it changes course or something else pops up.  There were a couple of things I guessed correctly but there were many more I had no clue about.  Some of the details are a bit blood and guts, so be aware if you're not into reading about that sort of thing!

You do need to concentrate when reading this book.  There is so much detail and the research that had to go into this book it must have been intense.  I borrowed this book from my daughter-in-law who is a lawyer and I could see why she is a fan of this author.

I do think I will be looking out for more Karin Slaughter books when I want to read an intense book.  

I have made a start on this book, I got it at Dollarama:

Fly Girls by Keith O'Brien

I am hoping to get back into my reading in January, I was too busy with other things during December to fit a lot of reading in.

I will say, I did pick up some neat children's books out of Dollarama recently.  Well worth checking out.

Happy New Year

 

I hope 2026 brings you good health and happiness.

🙂