What Are You Doing Right Now...?, Aside from being on the forums, of course :) Options

[louise1712]

I'm wondering how long I can put off doing coursework for........... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

What course are you doing, Louise?

it's a Teaching Assistant qualification, nothing too heavy, just another string to add to my bow when it comes to job hunting.

I didn't know you were a string player! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

I have been known to make a nasty noise on a violin from time to time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[linda.ff]

Learning how to make coffee.

Not joking. I used to drink a lot of coffee when I was younger, and I still enjoy it when I'm eating out. But somehoiw I've developed a real distaste for instant coffee, and anything made at home - over the past twenty years this has included by my dad, my ex-husband and the one I have now - has smelt wonderful while it's still in the packet, smelt nowhere near as pleasant when made into a drink, and been a penance to drink.

I'd love to be able to do unsweetened black, but I've never managed to like it. Both the unsweetened and the black aspects have always made me grimace. Those men in my life used an assortment of coffe machines and cafetieres.

But last week I spent a whole morning with a "new" friend - actually known her for a while but she's the mother of one of my pupils, and little asides at the beginning and the end of the lessons had convinced us that we needed to take some time to tell one another our stories. I want to be able to return the compliment. So I'm practising.

4-cup cafetiere. (4 doll-sized cups, that is). Coffee in the packet smells delicious. Put in one-and-a-half spoonfuls (sort of rounded dessert spoonfuls) per person (me and himself) let boiled water cool slightly, then fill cafetiere nearly to top and leave for a couple of minutes.

Try half a cup, black unsweetened. Half a teaspoonful. Can't do unsweetened, this is REALLY bitter. Put in a little, then a lot of dark brown sugar. Still bitter. Give up and add semi-skimmed milk. Not so bitter now but tepid. And anyway that much sugar would be a bad habit (but then I suppose so would the coffee)

Have the other half cup with Canderel, which is a sweetener I tolerate easily. Lot of it, top up with milk.

Leaves me cold.

So why is it that the coffee I get at a restaurant or the coffee I can drink in Costa or Starbucks tastes as good as it smells and the coffee I try to make at home is disgusting? (Used filtered water, btw)

[Tenor Viol]

OK - I'll put coffee hat on...

The BIG secret is how recently the beans were roasted and how recently they were ground. Coffee contains essential oils which evaporate very easily. Coffee that has been ground for a while "oxidises" and loses its flavour and tastes quite stale. Also, coffee which is over roasted tastes "burnt".

There are ways of telling how fresh coffee is. If you use beans, hold two between finger and thumb and hold near your ear and crack them. There shoudl eb a sharp cracking sound. This indicates low moisture content - i.e. freshly roasted. With ground coffee, when you add water, it should almost fizz, again indicating low mositure levels.

The ideal solution is a local grocer (or coffee roaster) that roasts beans in small batches. Keep beans in an airtight container. Grind - with a burr grinder - in smallish batches - and keep ground coffee in an airtight container. My personal preference is somethign like Kenya AA or Ethiopian / Yemeni Mocha.

Some of the premium coffees that the supermarkets sell are reasonable (from experience, all of the so-called "fairtrade" or similar coffees are utter rubbish - I've yet to find a decent one). You can get good coffee by mail order (I've never had to) e.g. Betty's Tea Rooms (Harrogate) under the Taylors of Harrogate label have some good coffees (not the ones they sell mass market), as do places like Fortnum's. Expect to pay GBP12 - 15 for a pound of decent coffee - more for very specialist, e.g. single estate.

There's no reason, unless you enjoy a hair shirt, why you need to drink coffee black. The only time I do is an espresso after a meal.

I always use demerra sugar with coffee (preferably the natural type like Billington's). A splash of double cream both adds colour and flavour without over chilling the coffee - you don't need a lot, which is the problem with skimmed milk.

Personally, I prefer filter to cafetiere.

The demi-tasse cup is only really for expresso. For filter, I use two shovels of coffe per mug - I have a coffee measure, which is about a dessert spoon full - so four shovels for two mugs. For a 1x4 filter, just cover the grounds with water, let it drip, add one lot of water, let drip, top-up second time, let drip. Done. I use one and a half level tea spoons of demererra. Don't add too much water - just enough for the two mugs.

Have fun.

[Pixie*Porsche]

Just been dancing around my lounge to "Boogie Wonderland" - it used to be on the local radio station EVERY morning before I went to secondary school. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Now I'm listening to Roxanne and realised the lyrics are quite rude and not about traffic lights.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[lottie]

Oh these two last posts are music to my ears.

Just to compare: I use an automatic filter machine which was inexpensive and produces excellent coffee. I use freshly ground beans (I grind enough for two days at a time), usually Starbucks own coffee or a medium to strong blend from the specialist coffee shop. I have just enough semi-skimmed milk to make it the colour of Lindt milk chocolate and no sugar although would only serve Demerara with coffee. I find cream settles out in little pools of melted fat on the surface so I don't use it???!!! I use two scoops of grounds for a large mug (I have a favourite thick-walled Eeyore mug from the Disney shop (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ).

I have to have this every morning and then I know all is right with the world and I can get on with my day. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) And I love it makes the way the kitchen smell - especially if the log stove is on and I've made toast too... heavenly smell! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

I agree with Tenor Viol about the 'fair-trade' stuff - it's usually (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ill.gif) And the mass produced 'Taylors of Harrogate' coffee is pretty arughh too although I've not tried coffee from 'Betty's Tea Rooms'.

I also prefer filter to cafetiere because I know that no solids at all end up in my cup although I never empty a cup completely just in case. But the trick with cafetieres is to add the hot water and then stir with a teaspoon. Then put the 'lid' on and wait for at least 3 minutes using a cafetiere 'cosy' to keep it warm. Depress the plunger about an inch and a half and then carefully pull it back up by half an inch - this sends the coffee spinning around to the bottom of the glass. Then depress the plunger slowly. Having released the coffee by lifting the plunger it is FAR easier to press the plunger gently to the bottom. Always hold the handle to steady it!!

We have a coffee shop in one of the local villages that produces THE best coffee. They have an Italian machine but I don't know what kind of coffee they use. I'm not often in that village but when I am having a coffee there is a true pleasure.

[Tenor Viol]

Your cream issue is it's not fresh enough. I use double cream - it'll only emulsify if it's fresh. The half pint cartons with the plastic lid are good for about a week provided you put it straight back in the fridge.

If it's going off quicker than that, your fridge isn't cold enough - needs to be about 4C. If that's the case, either the thermostat on the fridge has gone, or it's on its way out..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

As to what I've been doing today....

Took my mum out for lunch and retail therapy.... We ended up in Chester. I spent nothing and mum bought a baster!

Mum is a seamstress and has all her City and Guilds qualifications from back in the 50s. We wandered through M&S - I noticed (again) that the sleeves on men's jackets not looking right. Mum was aghast at the poor quality and workmanship. On the cheaper suit jackets, a high percentage were puckered due to either sleeve not set correctly or gathering not properly distributed. On the more expensive jackets, all you could say was it happened to fewer of them. You never had these issues when they were made in the UK. once upon a time they were legendary for quality...

[louise1712]

drinking coffee and trying to get my coat dry

[Misterioso]

Waiting for a student to turn up, rescheduled from Monday at their request.

Currently 22 minutes late. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[louise1712]

Waiting for a student to turn up, rescheduled from Monday at their request.

Currently 22 minutes late. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

Did student turn up Misterioso?


Am currently checking out the delay refund policy on East Coast's website........

[Misterioso]

Waiting for a student to turn up, rescheduled from Monday at their request.

Currently 22 minutes late. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

Did student turn up Misterioso?


Am currently checking out the delay refund policy on East Coast's website........

No, student didn't arrive - but mum says she will pay. Terminally disorganised family. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

East Coast Rail - we had problems with them last year. We missed a flight due to a delay on one of their trains, and all they offered us was vouchers off further rail travel with them. We don't travel by train very often (no railways here) and further correspondence with them did not result in a refund. Doesn't seem fair to me - after all, it was their fault. Hope you have better luck.

[louise1712]

Waiting for a student to turn up, rescheduled from Monday at their request.

Currently 22 minutes late. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

Did student turn up Misterioso?


Am currently checking out the delay refund policy on East Coast's website........

No, student didn't arrive - but mum says she will pay. Terminally disorganised family. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

East Coast Rail - we had problems with them last year. We missed a flight due to a delay on one of their trains, and all they offered us was vouchers off further rail travel with them. We don't travel by train very often (no railways here) and further correspondence with them did not result in a refund. Doesn't seem fair to me - after all, it was their fault. Hope you have better luck.

I'm travelling a lot by rail now and have had very few problems with East Coast, they generally provide an excellent service in my opinion and the delay on Sunday was due to a signalling problem, so not really their fault.

Hope Cross Country can do as well this coming Sunday and get me to Glasgow on time!

[louise1712]

listening to some oboe pieces on youtube

[Rach123]

eating an iceland own branded cornetto (strawberry and vanilla flavour. yum!)

[louise1712]

Retuning my tv (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[louise1712]

researching campsites (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)