Orange Peel

This isn't a recipe blog, but what with Christmas coming etc. etc.

Orange peel can take a long time to rot down in any composter. Here's an alternate method of disposal in tune with both Second Use For Everything and the Christmas Season.

It's never as good as store-bought candied peel, but it's a darn sight cheaper, and that's what I'm all about.

In essence (good one Chris!), I boil the peel of an orange in sugar.
70g peel in 180g sugar.

1. Gently heat the solid sugar from last time in a saucepan of water. I think I'm stupid to tie up a nice glass bowl for weeks at a time this way.

2. Eat the thick-skinned orange for breakfast. Dieting, you know. Slice the peel into a Lambert Conformal Conic sections and dream of Africa.

3. Slice each segment into strips about 2 mm wide.

4. Pour the liquefied sugar from last time into a different pan. That's right. The original pan didn't shrink! Add 180g sugar, toss in the peel and stir. I use a plastic teaspoon because I'm too cheap to replace the jam thermometer that broke last year. If the plastic melts, the sugar is too hot.

5. Stir the pan, but don't stir too far away from the stove. A good book on genetic technology helps here. Also a bar stool.

6. Reduce heat once the stuff is at the boil. Lowest heat, simmer to drive off some water.

7. Strain into the coffee percolator. Sweet orange-flavored coffee tomorrow morning. With cream. Sod the diet.

8. Spread out to cool/harden on a plate. I use chopsticks because it's almost lunchtime anyway.

Plastic bags

I found this today - uses for plastic bags (grocery bags, bread bags etc.). Many of the uses seem to be duplicates or clones, but still and all it's a good list.

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/tips/a/blplasticbag.htm