My frugal kitchen.

Dear reader,

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I am still off work and as we have decided that 2014 is absolutely, totally, without doubt going to be the year for us to bash, batter and destroy our debt, I decided I would be frugal in the kitchen today.

After a load of washing had been put on and several cups of tea and reading the papers online. (Terrible news of Michael Schumacher who fights for his life,they report) I trotted out to the kitchen to see what there was in store. I knew there was hardly anything in the fridge but I like to be creative

I had frozen the remains of a roasted chicken, there was probably about half left and had put that in the fridge last night to defrost along with two yellow sticker pork chops. 

We're £3.10 reduced to £1.88.

Pork chops were put into the slow cooker with a sliced onion, a packet mix of sausage casserole, a small tin of baked beans and a carton of Approved Food chopped tomatoes with another carton full of water.

I also found the lest of a sack of onions and peeled them all and chopped them in the food processor. I always do this so I have a ready load for cooking.

I made a huge saucepan of savoury rice with onion, garlic and Indian spices. I fry them first then add rice and double the amount of water. Once boiled I turn it off and let it steam.

I saved two portions for tonight with the pork and will freeze another two portions for another day. I find that freezing my own rice is fine and never have any problems with it.

I didn't have anything much to make for lunch so got some flour, water and yeast and made a pizza base. I topped that with BBQ sauce, again from Approved Food and topped it with an out of date ( only by a day) mozzarella cheese, onions and a bit of the chicken shredded up. It was really tasty.
Here's a link to make pizza base Easy peasy

The log burner is on and the washing is drying in front of it. We don't have the heating on as we are just in the lounge and its warm enough with us both in fleecy bottoms and tops.

Tomorrow will see what else can be rustled up from nothing. I have half a cooked butternut squash in the freezer and a tin of chickpeas in the cupboard so I'm thinking of a curry.

In my freezer is a half bag of parsnips, same of sweetcorn, a packet of pork mince, frozen chips and some cooked apple. I have some instant mash so was thinking of a kind of pork burger. Think fish cake looking with some sweetcorn and chips. There is also a pack of frozen rolls. Maybe pork burgers?

I have lentils, rice, chopped tomatoes, flour, loads of sauces and spices, a tin of mixed beans, instant mash, some salami that came back from my mums, some tins of baked beans, also from mum and some lasagne sheets. Maybe a pork lasagne? Does that sound weird? I'd like to not do any food shopping until the weekend.

We are just about to look at our energy suppliers and see what savings we can make there. At the moment we pay a set amount of £40 electricity (they have just reduced it from£50 after a refund and £44 a month for our gas. 

I hope you have a good day whether you are back at work or at home.

Tomorrow will be the last of the year and I can't wait to save, save, save.

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