maggiespaws

He's telling porkies. He's really doing Turkey Twizzlers with Aunt Bessies frozen spuds and Batchelors Mushy Peas. Arctic Roll for pud. All washed down with Blue Nun. As long as the Blue Nun was properly chilled.... Too right. Am dead classy me like. Nee waam wine for me!

I made a Bread and Butter pudding made with Pannatone raisin bread the other day, delicious! I add alittle cream AND evaporated milk too.....piggy-tastic! Christmas day I will be cooking beef with red wine and redcurrant jelly gravy with roast honey and mustard parsnips, mashed swede and carrots, savoy cabbage, pigs in blankets and yorkshires oh and of course roast potatoes.....yum!! We have xmas pudding, bot normally have a light dessert like mandarins in vodka/orange jelly with meringue and clotted cream! Oh good. I've never tried it before and tbh the pud is Mrs Paws idea. I'd planned on using cream but wouldn't have thought of the evaporated milk. Might see if I can get some this afternoon. Cheers for the tip Your mustard parsnips sound canny too. Might have to try that one out too

No, Paws is the guilty party I think. Obviously picked it up subconciously whilst drooling over Nigella's festive rack( for she is responsible for the semolina spuds). I swear by goose fat for top notch roasties. Guilty as charged for all of the above m'lud (especially the drooling bit ) Goose fat is essential for roasties.

Coating your roasties in Semolina gives them a lovely slightly sweet crunchy-ness to them. Bollocks, that reminds me - I forgot to buy semolina last night. Supermarkets are chaos today according to the rock radio. Reports of people being stuck in carparks cos they are so busy. Same for retail parks too, so you're fucked if you haven't finished your shopping yet.

Fat as Fook Land is probably the best description for all by the sounds of things At my parents on Boxing Day where I think we're having Goose apparently. I dont think I will need to eat again between 27th Dec - 1st Jan! Strictly a liquid diet.

@alex - Starter AND Soup bloody hell?

It's Paws man! (if you're going to shorten it that is - I'm not a woman)

Tbh I agree. It's Mrs Paws who wants the starter. Life Lesson #76 - Never argue with a preganant woman

Something not right about two grown men off the internet meeting up to make snowmen. Jealous tbh

Took me well over an hour to dig the car out again this morning and I didnt get into work until after 10:30. But do you know what, I couldn't give a shit, As a wise man from Wolverhampton once said..... "ITS CHRISTMASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!". Comes with this time of year and where we live. Looking forward to making a snowman with Matt after work tomorrow.

I'm having the in-laws over again this year. Not going Trad as neither myself or Mrs Paws are fans of Turkey Dinners. I'm cooking (as usual) and this year the menu is: Starter - Creamy Carrot & Coriander Soup with a sprig of Parsley as Mrs Paws can't eat her favorite types of fish at the minute. Main - Roast Fillet of Beef wrapped in Proscutio Ham and Porcini Mushrooms in red wine accompanied with the more Trad: Pig in Blankets, roasties (using Semolina), carrots, sude mash, peas, roast parsnips and stuffing (Sage & Lemon Thyme & another one I cant remember). Sweet: Bread & Butter Pudding (my all time fave) but made with Italian Pannatone and Rum soaked rasins Eat your heart out Hugh Fernley-Nostrilstal and Jamie 'Bad Boy' Oliver (although the main course comes from one of his books ). Xmas day breakfast is a slightly tweaked menu this year for Mrs Paws. We'll have to forego the trad smoked slamon and scrambled eggs with Champagne and she'll be having Cooked smoked salmon with eggs and a champagne spritzer (cant believe I'm going to add lemonade to the Champage I've bought - still, needs must). As I hate fish, I'm having Sausages from my local butcher with black pudding in them, scrambled eggs and undiluted champagne Poncy-tastic Not decided what I'll be cooking on New Years yet.

Cheers guys. Birthday celebrations moved to tonight on account of me being stuck in Tesco's for 3 hrs last night doing the Christmas food shopping. Mrs Paws would have done it only we were subject to a blizzard for most of yesterday and she couldn't get off our estate (damn the Pennines and their hilly landscape & BMW for being RWD). Meenzer - Like it mate. 'Pud - Thanks mate, love you too

Cheers guys. I'm actually working on my birthday this year. I dont think I've ever done that before. Damn clients and their new systems Still, I shall make up for it this evening

Aye, sorry to hear that Cath. Worst part of having any pet that.

Hmm, considering your suggestion of 3 strikes and a ban *Hovers over the ban button*

Never been one for singles. I think my 1st one might have been Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol; but that could be bollocks. I think I'd be lucky if I've bought 10 singles in my life. 1st album was much earlier: Whitesnake - Slip of the Tongue (with Steve Vai on guitars) on CD

Does this make me Soopa-disrespectful then? Happy Birthday mate.

Agree with the sentiments about Campbell. He'd do a job, but not at the expense of others. He is a bit mental too, although, with the news of the sale of NC; you have to wonder if this is why he decided 'it's not like it said in the brochure'. I think keeping Simpson and Kish for the remainder of the season is a top priority for Jan along with a creative midfield player. In this league, I think our strikers are good enough. Lets worry about next year in August. Obviously if we could get people for next year on a good deal now, then it would be madness not too; but I dont think MA is looking beyond this season. Get us up and then get out. Let some other poor fucker worry about keeping us up.

I adore Josh Homme..(the sound and the man).... so I dont mind it sounding typically him, but have to say so far I'm not mad keen. I hope this doesnt mean QOTSA are finished Didn't spot your reply before I replied to Tom's. I guess your reply shows it's not just me then. I came to the conclusion that I don't like it because of the heavy QotSA influence and I have to be in the mood for them. However, as you're a big fan of them and you don't like it either tells me my gut feeling is right and it just isn't any good

It's Josh isn't it? Anyway, my first impressions were that I hated it too. Really disappointed as I thought a blend of DG and JPJ was really exciting. It just seems weird for the sake of it in many places. Maybe it's becuase I'm not really much of a QotSA fan, I dont know. It's definitely leans more towards QotSA and less LZ or FF; but not as good as any of them on their own. I'll try again, but I found myself skipping and it was an effort to get to the end frankly.

Not to mention the fact that it's shite and boring. I'd honestly rather paint my balls luminous yellow and watch them dry than sit through cricket.

Was that the deal? Fook me he really doesn't have the money does he? Lucky escape indeed. Well, as lucky as not picking up the shitty-est end of the stick can be....

happy birthday meenz !

Mrs Paws and I have had one each for almost 3 months now. Mrs Paws loves hers and I have to admit, I'm really impressed too. I've not gotten exited about phones for a long time now, even though I'm a bit of a tech freak. I love new toys, but I usually quicjly grow bored of phones. As long as it makes calls and I can take photos when I want, that usually does me. The iPhone however, really is the bollocks. I held off getting one because until the OS3.0, it didnt do things like MMS and prior to the 3GS it only had a 2MP camera which was a bit shit. Ignore the hype, ignore the devotees fawning/wanking over them and just spend 1/2 an hour playing with one and you will see it for what it is - a great bit of kit whic is really nice to use. I've had PDA smartphones various Nokia N-Series business phones (N80, N95 & N96) which have all had loads of features etc but this is the first one for me which does loads of useful stuff and actually manages to funciton well as a phone to! I use mine for work so I sync 4 different email accounts, calendar and contacts with my PC; I have sat nav on it (Copilot rather than TomTom as TT is a bit shit apparently) for only £27 to get me to meetings etc and a shitload of mp3s on it for when I'm on the train and for all that I only carry one device now. I've not mentioned the apps yet and there are loads of useful ones. I find myself using it for more than I thought I would. Installed the Sky+ app and last weekend at my Mams I programmed my Sky box to record something later that afternoon that I would have otherwise missed. Not a reason on it's own for buying one, but just an example of one of the many things you'll find yourself doing once you do get one. Nokia have now released an apps store for their phones and there a loads of apps for android phones as well as Blackberry but for my money, the iphone beats them all. I have friends & collegues who have all of the aforementioned devices, so I've had time to compare. They are more pricey on consumer tarriffs though, which is a sticking point. As I have mine on a business contract, I get 2 for less than £55/month combined.

Noelie man, read the rest of the thread. People are saying up £150 or whatever, because it depends on the number of share we have the money to buy for. We're talking about £30, £50, £100 & £150 share buy ins. If the £150 one is full, my £150 could be split between a £50 one and the £100 one. Alternatively, if there isn't enough space, in the £50 one (and not enough names to buy another one) then I'll only be able to chip in £100 of my (up to) £150. These old'uns today have no patience and get all fired up at the drop of a hat