Potato Ricer

Maggie May asked "what is a Potato Ricer?" It looks like an oversized garlic crusher. Pop your cooked potato in, hold over a bowl and press the handles together = light, fluffy and lump free mashed potato. Some chefs don't even bother to peel the potato when they cook it, just push the boiled spud through and the skin apparently stays behind.

But, just like the trusty potato masher, it pays to rinse the ricer immediately after using. Cooked potato can stick very stubbornly.

The one the Folks have given me has a choice of 2 discs to insert in the bottom - they have differently sized holes. A food mill/ moule leguimes (sic, ?) produces a similar result. My food mill is kind of large so this new toy is great.

Confess I've only used it once so far.....

Easter Was...

Really good. Dear Mum arrived in Wellington on Maunday Thursday all ready for the NZ Quilting Symposium.

That day was really cold. Mum was staying at a hotel down below the hill(mini mountain really) that my wee home is on top of. Dear Mum popped up, arriving with frozen cheeks, to drop off books they'd borrowed and a few special things:

Tomatoes from their garden, including some green ones like I'd requested

The completely unexpected gift from my Dear Parents of a potato ricer - woohoo

And another gift of a decently sized fluffy sheepskin for Zebby ( was part of a sheepskin car seat cover, the stretchy fabric bit around the side had given out so the Folks cut it off and washed the sheepskin for my lad).

On Good Friday Mum picked up a packed lunch for 3 I'd made for her and couple of her friends also going to the symposium.

Easter Sunday I made a huge batch of slow cooked meat sauce which I then froze in Mickle sized portions for lasagne/cottage pie etc over the next few months.

Easter Monday and Dear Mum picked me up. We went to Te Papa, the Musem of New Zealand here in Wellywood to see the Monet exhibition - paintings on loan from the Museum of Boston - and the Colossal Squid. Sensibly, we had lunch first.

Then off to see the Quilting Tutor's exhibition. The Symposium was held at my old school, Wellington Girls' College. Hilarious to be there again a year after the 150th Jubilee last Easter.

(I keep typing it as Eatser). Bonus from Mum's going to the Symposium - she picked up some knitting magazines (given away free by some of the stalls there) for me . So I'm in a "yarn daze".

Currently flat out knitting to finish a scarf I'm making for Dear Sister's Partner. They will both be here at the beginning of June so I need to finish it.

Because in early June we have: The Dear Parents Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary

Own self has flights booked, and yes, of course, Zebbycat already booked into his cattery - I did that months back.

So I'll be knitting for a bit still - you see, I can knit and read blogs at the same time, I just can't knit and create posts myself simultaneously.... And that's when Zeb isn't launching an attack on my knitting needles while I'm using them.......

And that is Autumn, so far, in Mickle and Zebbycat's wee home

A DIscovery

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun
1.
mickle - (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money"
good deal, great deal, hatful, lot, muckle, passel, peck, mint, quite a little, slew, spate, tidy sum, wad, stack, raft, mountain, pile, plenty, mass, batch, heap, deal, flock, pot, mess, sight
large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude
deluge, flood, inundation, torrent - an overwhelming number or amount; "a flood of requests"; "a torrent of abuse"
haymow - a mass of hay piled up in a barn for preservation

Have fun!

Halfway through April...

Hello Folks, I'm still here........

Am currently listening to "A Prarie Home Companion" and reading other blogs.

Will post properly soon.

Sniffs Good?

Are there any particular aromas that drive your four legged friend/s crazy? I'm talking beyond the obvious anything stinky for dogs and catnip for cats.

Yes Zebby loves catnip, will hug, beat up and then wash his catnip toys. But his favourite smells are:

• Mickle's hands after I've been chopping vegetables, especially celery. I get smooched and lovingly gnawed upon

• Fabric Softener, given the chance he drags wet washing off the drying rack and rolls around on it so it has to be washed again

• and Chlorine Bleach. This he's truely adores.

Yesterday afternoon I attacked the mould in the bathroom while Zebster snoozled. Well, was he a happy lad last night. He spent much of the evening hanging out in there, smooching up to the supercleaned surfaces. LOL, at least I knew where I'd find him.

This morning he thanked me by resting his chin on my head, his snout in my ear and purring raucously.