The Tardis in my Kitchen

I still can't see where I have been taking food from!  My fridge, freezer and store cupboards are still so disgracefully full that I am wondering if they had false backs and more and more stuff is being pushed forward!  I am finding it amazing that I have so far not missed my weekly shop.  I can't imagine what I would have needed to buy but I know I would have spent quite a bit of money if I had created an on-line order or worse still gone into a supermarket.  It is a very salutary reflection!

I'm still not hungry and for lunch I again had instant soup but also had some bread and jam.  There's real pleasure in every slice as both bread and plum jam are home made.

I've found some sausages deep in the freezer and I shall have those for tea along with a jacket potato and some baked beans. 

A Not-Much-Happening sort of a day

I haven't been out today so my £29 is still intact but that may change soon as I need milk.

I haven't felt very hungry so I just had an instant soup at lunch time.  Tonight I'm spoiling myself and having a fish pie, one of my favourite things.  I make about a dozen at a time and freeze them and that dozen doesn't last very long.  They don't get chance to hide in the back of the freezer.

Maybe tomorrow I shall feel more creative.  For today I'm glad I don't have to be.

Looking in the cupboards

A big welcome to "The Reason I save" - my first follower on this blog.  I've been trying to put a followers thingy on my sidebar but for some reason it doesn't want to know me.   One day I shall manage it!

I had another rootle through the cupboards today looking for things I may have bought in a fit of enthusiasm and then left to deteriorate on the shelf.  This time I found a large box of couscous.  Couscous must be the easiest thing to prepare but for some reason I have been buying the small "convenient" packets of flavoured couscous and not using the plain stuff which is much more economical and no more difficult to prepare.  So, for lunch I had the remainder of the beef and ale  I got out of the freezer yesterday and I served it with couscous with a few sultanas to make it more interesting.  Very nice it was too.  Tonight I'm planning the corn on the cob I bought a couple of days ago.  That's another easy dish as all it needs is a generous knob of butter.

I didn't get a grocery delivery this week.  Usually T*sco delivers on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.  I haven't missed it.  I wonder how long that will last.

Back to the straight and narrow

After yesterday’s little burst of expenditure today I have returned to the straight and narrow!  I decided that I have had enough of the soup for now so it’s found its way to the freezer.  I’ve fished out a portion of beef and ale for my evening meal and that will go down very nicely with a jacket potato.  I always put loads of vegetables in the casseroles that I freeze so that will be a meal in itself.

I had a different take on leftovers today and I had some of the dripping from Sunday’s roast on toast for lunch.  I love toast and dripping and always save some of the juices!

I’ve been looking at my store cupboard for things which tend to hang around for too long.  I want to try making some flapjacks because I have quite a bit of oats.  I don’t often eat porridge for breakfast so oats linger for rather longer than I would like so I may try flapjack in the next few days. 

First spending

I have a minor triumph to record - today's attempt at bread-making is delicious!  I don't know why yesterday's was a disaster.  I have been using my breadmaker for several months and the results have always (until yesterday) been wonderful.  Anyway, I now have bread.

I have, however, broken into my £30.  I spent £1 on three corn cobs.  I wanted the cash to be available for essentials and fresh food.  That corn is locally grown, within a mile of my home, and I shall enjoy them. 

I had more of the "leftovers" soup for lunch with a piece of cheese which had seen better days but was still OK.   My evening meal will be a baked potato and some Spanish chicken which was lurking in the freezer.

Tomorrow I have a guest for lunch.  I think I am going to make some green pea soup and serve with the delicious bread.  That bread won't be lasting very long.

More leftovers

I made soup today.  It was wonderful.  I used leftover roast potatoes, parsnips, peas, runner beans and gingered carrots with a drop of stock and a glug of vegetable oil.  

I think the gingered carrots made it.  These were left over from Sunday lunch when I had fried a little crushed ginger and crushed garlic (actually quite a lot of ginger) in vegetable oil, then i added sliced carrots, honey and a good slug of dry sherry.  I put them on the lowest possible heat, covered them with a lid and left them to meditate on what it is to be a carrot.  I kept the liquor when i served the carrots and that went in the soup with the other leftovers.

Again the pan of vegetables went on a very low heat until I blitzed them.  Ye gods' it was tasty.

I was invited out for my evening meal so my £30 is still intact.

I have to report a failure though.  I put the ingredients for bread in the breadmaker today and cooked a wonderful brick.  It would make a door step.  I shall try again tomorrow.

Leftovers

My first day has been OK and I spent nothing on food so my £30 is still intact.

Yesterday I had guests for lunch, a rare event here and I over catered so today has been a day for leftovers.  I'm with Nigella on this one in that I think that leftovers are The Best.  Breakfast never happened but lunch was leftover pork with gravy, parsnips, potatoes, beans, cauliflower cheese.

Tea was just apple pie and custard. Not that I'm complaining.