My latest favourite ingredient.

Dear reader,

Hello to new followers-brilliant!

I haven't smoked all day, am well chuffed and pleased with myself.  I have to be honest, I have a large sore begind my top tooth. A bit like when you really burn your mouth with a hot drink.
To be honest I am a bit scared that it might be something bad and it has given me a huge jolt to quit- again.
It's been so painful ice bought Bonjella and special mouth wash.

I am spening a few days at my mums. She hates me smoking so that's another good reason.

I brought a home made lasagne with me for dinner. I often find that my homemade ones aren't as saucy as the shop ones and I do like a bit of sauce.

My new favourite ingredient-Chorizo. Not the packet sliced ones but the whole sausage shaped ones.

They are slightly spicy and a bit smoky. They produce a superb flavoured oil when lightly fried after being sliced.

Today I cut them in half length ways and then sliced them so I had quarter chunks. Then I fried them and once I had extracted their smoky, lovely oil I added sliced mushrooms. Then I added a tin of tomatoes. I heard once that if you use whole tomatoes instead of chopped, tinned ones you should allow them to cook first, then chop them up to prevent them being bitter.
I added a sweetener tablet, black pepper and a squirt of tomato ketchup. Then I left to simmer for 30 mins.
It makes a great rich sauce. Perfect for just pouring over plain pasta. You only need use a small amount of chorizo and you can use the remaining chorizo on pizzas or add it to shepherds pie, lasagnes, sausage and bean casseroles. I love it!
It's also nice sliced and lightly fried with a few prawns or scallops thrown in for a special starter. I like to serve them over a lightly toasted slice of crusty bread that I have rubbed with garlic.
Only for a special treat though.

Do you have any go to ingredients that you add? I love the way it changes the taste of a meal subtly but so deliciously.

My mum has requested faggots befor I go home so will make a load of them and possibly a curry for her freezer.

Any other ideas for good to freeze meals?

Hope you are all well.

Much love. X

Why am I frugal?

Dear reader,

Can't stop now, on a roll.

I got thinking about being frugal and why. Also what I do to save money.

The reasons we are frugal.

1. Firstly, we have a large debt to pay back. This is the money we spent on the house renovation.

2. I want my parents to live closer to me. They moved away and downsized so they didn't have a mortgage anymore as they are both retired. Or so they thought......(father has had to return to work for financial reasons)
I would like to be able to finance their move back here in a couple of years. Not all of it but a few thousand.

3. With the constant warnings of prize rises, crappy pensions and cost of living, we want to be able to have a decent retirement.
I don't want to work forever. I'm 43 now and don't really want to work past 55. Well, not in my current job anyway.

We have big plans to pay off our mortgage earlier than planned. Another reason to quit the smoking!

I'm probably wishful thinking but I like to have a plan. I may be a few years out but I have to have a goal to aim for.

One of my main money savers that I have learned from some of your blogs is home cooking.
It's very rare that we go out for a meal or a takeaway and we take packed lunches nearly every day with a few lapses in emergencies.

I have found that batch cooking is my best time and money saver. A bag of spuds, a pack of pork mince and a couple of packs of pigs liver and an onion and I can prepare about 5 dinners for the two of us both, all for under £10.

Faggots are my go to quick, easy and tasty recipe.

Lasagne is also another favourite here. Very little time to make a couple. I do the white sauce myself. Simple. I'm sure much cheaper then the shops and (I was going to say I know what's in them, hoping the beef mince is beef!)

Is it me or do we seem to have forgiven the supermarkets very quickly and easily for the horse meat scandal?
Don't get me started on kebab meat, not that I eat it. I have heard that even donkey has been found in that revolting, fat dripping lump turning in the window. Shocked? Sadly in the uk today, not really.

Big man was telling me that yesterday he had reason to be behind a pizza take away shop. Work related, nothing seedy. He reckoned that if people could see the conditions of the kitchen and food prep areas they would never eat one again.

I know I am preaching to the converted but I've had take out pizzas many times. Eeeeeuuuukkk.

Sorry I have gone off piste a bit and having a rant instead.

Still, if you were thinking of ordering a take away this week, save your money.

Is lamb really that expensive? For JL.

Dear reader and especially Jill,

I have been absent from writing for a while. I have received some lovely, lovely  comments and they have really cheered me on.

What's been going on? I have read a few blogs but not every day. I have been working as usual.
Last week 7 days straight with a couple of 12 hour days thrown in for good measure.

I have still been cooking and had a major session today.

This is what I made.

4 portions of 6 in a portion faggots. (Is it gg or tt in the spelling? I never know)

2x2 portion lasagnes

1x2 portion cannelloni

1x2 portion cauliflower cheese

A carrot cake

I also bought a treat a couple of weekends ago. A leg of lamb. It was huge and was £13 and a few pence. Not very frugal.........or so I thought.

I slow roasted it with incisions in the skin which I stuffed with the usual garlic and Rosemary and also anchovy fillets which melt and don't taste at all fishy but give it a lovely, salty savoury taste.
We had a normal sized portion of meat each. Then when it was cold, I carved the rest of it.

To my surprise I managed to have enough meat left for 4 more dinners. When I say a dinner I mean one dinner each so really 8 separate dinners.
Now, I'm not talking loads and loads of slabs of meat but a decent amount each.

I saved one portion for the next day and the others I tupperwared and froze.

The next day I fried some onion, garlic and fresh chilli. Added an Approved Food thai curry paste.
I had halved and roasted a butternut squash the day before with the leg of lamb and scooped all the lovely, soft orange flesh into the pan. I put the lamb in which I had cubed so it all got coated and then half a tin of coconut milk, which again was surplus last time and I had frozen in a plastic container.
 The rest remains frozen. That leg of lamb wasn't quite so expensive after all. I will definately do the same again.

I'm thinking mini lamb kebabs, stuffed into warm pittas with salad and humous, lamb Biryani, lamb stew with fat dumplings and pearl barley, Asian lamb with chilli, spring onion and fish sauce.

Stop me, I'm getting hungry.

I write from my bed tonight. Electric blanket it on. I know it sounds a bit old fashioned ( the people at my work take the p out of me) but honestly both big man and I thinks it's the best thing we have bought for ages.
We got it back in September so we were prepared. There is no heating on although we did have the log burner on earlier. It was 22 in the lounge and 21 in the hall which is more than ample for us.
The washing is drying in front of the fading embers now and will be dry for the morning.

So glad to be back. Now I've written, I realise how I've missed blogging.

Thank you all for sticking by me and JL a kiss for you X.

I've let you all down. X

Dear reader,

It's been a while. I have been so busy and a bad thing has happened. Big man and I went back on the fags! For US readers that is a well used and acceptable term for cigarettes.

I have been too ashamed to tell you and so I have stayed away.

Give me a while to rectify this and I will be back.

I don't feel able to write a frugal blog while we are burning £15 a day.

I'm so sorry, I feel I've let you all down.

X

Remembering those who gave the ultimate.

Dear reader,

Today is a day for remembering those who gave their lives.

I remember my grandad who fought in the war. He got TB from the trenches and my mum only met him when she was four. She said she was scared of the big man with the deep voice who suddenly arrived in the kitchen. I loved my grandad.

I'm sure we all have someone we remember today and lots of other times too.

I remembered my family who are no longer here, I remembered that people lost their lives for their country, for us.

I also remembered Lee Rigby who died in the most awful, awful way.

They were all someone's son.

We salute you.

X

Over to Frugal Queen

Dear reader,

Sorry I have been away. I've missed writing. The strains of working full, full time, a demanding job, a great but work aholic boss.

Tonight I am just referring you to Frugal Queen as her post says it all really.
What I would like to know dear reader, is what has happened? Why is our once great country struggling to heat and care for our elderly and to feed ourselves?

See Froogs post here Swear words included from Froogs.


Goodnight.
X

Elaine's soda bread.

Dear reader,

Stoptober is everywhere. People are quitting this and stopping that. Saving up and doing without.

I am doing well too and trying not to spend unessasarily. Being organised is the key.

Sadly I just don't have time to be organised, well not as well as some of you on here who do amazing things.

One of my favourite girls who do amazing things is Elaine at mortgage free in 3. I have watched Elaine on a video clip public speaking. You know one of those people who speaks really well, I wanted to listen for ages and she has a lovely accent.

I made her super quick soda bread tonight to Stoptober me having to go to the shops and spend £20.

If you haven't met Elaine, she is hereAmazing Elaine and her soda bread recipe.