Testing if this still works

 Don’t know if anyone is still following. Haven’t posted for 5 years! 

Sensible saving head on.

Dear reader,

Approaching Christmas and I know I haven’t been great this year with saving for the festive period.
There always seems to be something to pay out for. I haven’t gone overboard this year, not that we do but I’ve definitely bought less presents than I usually would.
We go to my parents so don’t have to stock up on food as my lovely mum does all that and they treat us extremely well.  I enjoy the family time and seeing friends more than anything. I’m sure we all do.

I don’t really enjoy traipsing round the shops, getting stuck in the car park and traffic jams is not my idea of fun, so have done it online and am just waiting on deliveries to arrive.

The past few years I have been plagued with a bit of a lemon car. It was 11 years old when I bought it and I must have spent well over what I paid on repairing it. It was a case of, “Well, we’ve spent this much, so if nothing else goes wrong, it’s worth it.” We also didn’t have enough money to buy a replacement so I carried on until it was 15. Not wanting to go into debt, I cashed in my savings plans that I had through work and had been planned for retirement and bought a newer car. Public transport to work is neither cost effective nor feasible I’m afriad.
That’s life.

I have now set up some more bank accounts to put money aside. This year is gifts, Christmas and Birthdays which I will give £50 a month and just a general savings of £50 a month. We also have a car account for insurance, breakdown cover, mot and servicing which we feed £200 a month. The house insurance and boiler service comes from the two months we don’t pay council tax.

What do you save for and how do you do it? Accounts, glass jar, Premium bonds?

I’m really interested as I know there are some ingenious ways to save out there, I just need to know them.......

Leftovers dish -dirty rice.

Dear reader,

Snow still thick here, roads slushy and I just can’t be bothered to go out in the cold. I did check on a couple of older neighbours. One doesn’t go out anyway and the other was already up and shovelling his driveway. I hate the stories this time of year about people on their own or can’t afford the heating bill when we give so many millions away to other countries. (Some who don’t even want it) hey, I’m getting political. I’d just like to see this country sorted and then we move on to help others. Here’s a little snippet from the internet. Approx 9,000 people died last winter as they could not afford to,put the heating on. That’s horrendous.

I’m trying to save money this month and the first thing to tackle is the food bill. Too easy to just wander round the supermarket and pick up what I fancy so am making a conscious effort to use up what we already have.

What to eat? My go to leftovers dish, dirty rice. Not sure why it’s called this but it is a Cajun type rice dish and we love it.

A broccoli stalk, half an onion, clove of garlic, fresh chillis x2, lamb mince ( yellow sticker-organic reduced from £5.50 to £1.20) and some saved and frozen pork belly strips, herbs and spices and stock cube. Couple of eggs if you like egg fried. Cooked some rice in the rice cooker which is brilliant if you eat a lot of rice.
You can just chop and add whatever veg you have. I save and use cauliflower stalks, broccoli stalks, spring onions that are a bit shrivelled, tomatoes that are soft, carrots, cooked leftover spuds, sprouts, cabbage, peas,  honestly this dish will take anything.

Fry onions, garlic, chilli in a little oil, add mince and diced pork belly, add your spices. I used spicy chicken rub and some BBQ powder and a beef stock cube.. Fry until golden and meat is cooked through. Add some water just to wet it, perhaps a mug ful and let simmer. Add more chilli or whatever you like to flavour. Ketchup, salt and pepper, soy sauce are all good. I went for a spicy, Cajun flavour.
I also made a thin omelette from 3eggs, rolled it up and chopped into squares.
I Fried the rice in oil and garlic paste and added the meet mixture until rice coated, added the chopped egg omelette.

Very very tasty and a really good way to use up leftovers.

This recipe can easily be adapted for vegetarian eaters and slimming world followers.

What your use it up dish? I’d be really interested to know.

Have a good evening.

It’s snow time

Dear reader,

Woken up to thick snow. It looks lovely.

We live in  a no through lane now and the walkers are already out,heading to the small shop for their papers. It’s coming down fast as well. We cannot walk to any other shops from here so are a bit stuck for food top ups today.
I was due to go to work today but shall take a day off as it’s a long drive and motorway traffic too and I just can’t envisage getting there. Will have a day indoors instead. There’s always something to do.

I think I will have a cooking day ready for the week but not actually sure what we have in. I know there are chicken breasts and we have lots of spices, lentils and onions so I’m thinking a curry.
There’s also flour and butter so may make a pic. There’s no potatoes or any veg as I had planned a food shop tomorrow.
We have milk, eggs and bread. Ham, cheese and some frozen veg so we will be fine.

 It does make you think about parts of the world or even in the U.K. where weather is far, far worse and people are really stuck. They must have to plan well ahead with provisions.

I can see the tiny birds in the garden pecking under the tree where we put the seed so off to feed them.
Might make a snowman later.

Enjoy your Sunday. X

Where’s Frugal Queen?

Dear reader,

I’ve been away from my blog for ages now. I kind of just didn’t have anything to say and not sure anyone would want to know.
I’ve been prompted to write this as I still read other blogs and have noticed our dear Froogs, from Frugal Queen seems to have gone missing. All social media has gone and I’m rather worried.
I hope she is ok.
Quite a few blogs just suddenly stop and I do often wonder what happened and hope it’s just writers block and nothing serious.

We haven’t been that Frugal as we have been spending all our money on this house. Another artex ceiling disappeared today as the lounge was skimmed and is now drying. Always seems to take on a Mexican brothel look with the terracotta colour of it all but then goes Salmon pink.

Went to B&M Home bargains today for cleaning products and needed some cheese. Ended up spending £76. However, it will all be used and nothing wasted. We don’t waste any food here. Any left overs go to the birds or foxes and we have Red Kites so they have the chicken carcass or any other meat bones.
There were some items that came in bulk like the 12 kitchen towel rolls so it all added up in the end. Lots of stocking fillers and some looked well priced. Smelly sets and the like.

I noticed their Chocolate Oranges were only £1 which seems to be the best price I have seen. They also do (the much loved at Slimming World) Mayflower curry powder. It’s like Chinese curry sauce and it’s 99p for a box. I just add to cooked chicken, mushrooms and peas for a quick dinner.

I am using up the food in the house this week. Breakfast was instant mash mixed with lightly fried onion, salt and pepper which I fried with streaky bacon and fried eggs on top and tinned tomatoes. Lunch was ham and cheese baguettes and dinner will be “burger in a bowl” with sweet potato and normal potato chips and salad. It’s basically a burger without the bun sitting on a bowl of salad with gherkins, onions and tomatoes.

Have a good evening.

Nowt much.

Nothing much to say really.

I go to work
I shop at Lidl
I cook
I garden
I clean
My car is pissing me off- it's old and keeps breaking.

Have a nice day.
X

Artex and green carpet.

Hi,

It's been a while......Hope you are well.  Sometimes just don't have the time or inclination to write but have decided to get back on with writing. It's nice to have an online diary to look back on.

Since I last wrote we have moved house. We bought a bungalow in 2012 that hadn't been decorated since about 1960 and we re decorated and installed a new bathroom, log burner, wooden floors which is our taste. Lots of white walls as I like to add colour with accessories. We sold it and moved on. No particular reason but I seem to be restless in a house when it's finished.

Last November we moved into another chalet bungalow in a slightly different area. Bigger and in a nicer location, location, location. That's what they say don't they? "Buy the worst house in the best road." We are now in a lane with about 10 neighbours. The lane is no through and finishes with a farm and a bridle path and several footpaths into woods.

There is a lot of artex and green carpet and it will be a long and no doubt expensive process. We are doing most of the work ourselves with professionals for electricals and other jobs beyond our skills.
I say "We" when I mean "He" will do most of the work.

What's been going on in Blog land? I see Karen at Chelmarsh Chunterings is also back with some gorgeous looking food. How does she do those Yorkies?
A few good blogs I enjoyed have gone- Saving for travel, Miss Piggybank but some of my favourites remain. Going gently, Frugal Queen, Mean Queen ( she got me to stop smoking) Growing in the Fens,  Frugal in Norfolk, Sue, Mandy and others.

This year is all about the house. We have no money really so will be saving to get things done.
We are being frugal with heating (no log burner here) . I set it at 19 max- a couple of hours in the morning and evening.
Food- I really struggle with this. We both take food to work and have access to a microwave so it's often, scrambled eggs, curry, chilli or lasagne. I spend about £70-£80 a week for everything.
There will be no holidays this year and possibly next year. We have been watching Ben Fogle visiting  people who have chosen to go off grid. We have also watched Bargain loving Brits in Benidorm.
Not sure on Benidorm but can definitely see us living abroad in latter years.

Are you ok?

Dear reader,

Been quiet for a while but I have been reading yours and trying to comment as I go.

It's funny this blog land sometimes, I sometimes feel as if I know the person especially as so many bloggers share wonderful photos of their homes, where they live and even family events such as weddings.
I believe some bloggers meet up as well sometimes. I have to admit I really want to meet John Gray of Going gently blog. He is hilarious and an animal lover, my two favourite things!

Sometimes bloggers go missing and i get worried about them. It's odd after reading about someones life every day and they suddenly disappear. I have commented a couple of them to enquire of their welfare but to no avail. If you are one of two ladies I have been missing, please let us know you are safe and well. I'm a worrier.

There's been a lot in the press recently about elderly people who are on their own and how seeing someone for even a short while makes such a difference. There's a disabled man in my road who I pop in on sometimes. He has a live in carer.
He's got family in the next road who haven't bothered with him for years.

It's a sad old world sometimes.

Fish curry-nicer than it sounds

Dear reader,

I had seen Jamie Oliver creating some more economical meals on the TV the other week and one looked gorgeous. It was the fish curryhere it is

It was fantastic and was still great the next day at work. 

A jar of coffee.

Dear reader,

My lovely mum helps out at a food bank. She's retired and wanted to do some volunteering. She's never done anything like that before but she went off to the training and now she does it a couple of times a week.
It got me thinking about what food people give and what would be best for feeding a family.
Most of the donations are from supermarkets and shops. There are donations from the public and most are great but some are really weird. Nail varnish (half used), dipping oil and a screwdriver.
Apparently corned beef and baked beans are the usual donations.
I have to admit, I've never donated. My mum loves 150 miles away so I can't just pop round and give her some stuff. I've never seen a donation point at any shops either. There's a drop off box for the local dogs home in our Asda but not a food bank one.

It's usually women who come in, usually terribly embarrassed. They fill out a shopping list which asks them whether they want pasta or rice and any sanitary products preferences. They are given toothbrushes and toothpaste if they need them too. I guess some have fled from dangerous abusers and some have just fallen on hard times and need to feed their kids. Some women haven't eaten for a couple of days.

I suppose some are there because of their life choices or are drug users or alcoholics. At first I was bemused by that but then I thought, they're still hungry.
It seems so unbalanced sometime when I am looking for my nearest Slimming World class and my mum is bagging up food for someone who hasn't eaten for a while.
I will look up my nearest food bank today and drop some stuff off. Apparently they need canned meat  (not corned beef) and coffee so that's what I will get.
Apparently the local paper asked people for those items on behalf of the food bank and some people who furious they were asking for coffee. Perhaps some people think that if you ask for a hand out you should just be eating rice and drinking water.
I know they can only go three times and are referred from other agencies and given a voucher, you can't just walk in a get a load of stuff.

I'm lucky and can go food shopping today. I can pick up what I fancy and not give it much thought, I use my card and know it will cover my purchases. I choose to be careful what I spend becuase I want my money to be used elsewhere for paying off debts.

I was going to write a post about wholesome dinners, what can be cooked with food from a food bank bulk cooking and freezing but then I thought, suppose I'm a mum of two, my nerves are frayed and I've fled the family home due to violence. Perhaps I'm in a hostel or bed sit with a crap shared kitchen,no utensils, no freezer. I'm not sure how I'm going to get throught the week, I've got no family to help. The kids are upset cos we've left the dog at a re homing place......

I don't begrudge a jar of coffee.

What's cooking?

Dear reader,

A quiet day here. Glorious sunshine although a little windy. I bounced out of bed and went for a little jog. Not great but early days. Legs were agony.

Walked the fat dog for the fat woman who won't and now having a lazy afternoon. The lamb leg I purchased in Lidl is in the oven with carrots, onions and garlic and life is good.

I'm planning the meals for the week with what's already in store.

I have pork steaks, one fillet steak, fish (lots, bought when reduced, monkfish, river cobbler and haddock I think) liver, frozen veg, frozen chips, cheese, ham and a couple of slices of roast beef, two chicken breasts, half a cabbage and a packet of wraps. Also have milk, porridge oats and eggs, some apples and pears and that's about it with some cupboard basics too. Rice, pasta, curry powder etc.

I'm thinking faggots with onion gravy.
Leftover lamb in a curry or maybe just cold with chips and pickles.
Fish and chips
Steak, veg and chips
Grilled chicken and veg
Fish curry and rice

Breakfasts will be porridge and the wraps and cold meats will be lunches.

Have three nice dresses to go online tonight for sale so may make some money by next weekend!

What's on your mind today? Are you spending, saving or selling?

X

Who values our custom?

Dear reader,

A new follower! Hi Pam, nice to have you here and following me. Thank you. X

Thanks for all your comments, I have been publishing them in between going to and from work, housework and cooking but haven't managed to reply as yet.

 It seems customer service or at least, good customer service is sadly declining as we feel more of just a number at many retail outlets. I know this is one of the reasons we don't really eat out anymore.
Now I know the public in general can be a pain, I worked in a retail sales environment for 17 years and am still in a public facing role. The silly questions and unrealistic demands along with rudeness can really get you down. That's why I always try to be a "good customer" when I go shopping but I have found there are very few stores that actually, really care about their customer.

I would love to do my shopping in a variety of little high street shops, you know, a butchers, a bakers, greengrocer but those days seem to be over as we flock to buy cheap products from big chains.
I went into our local, family run store yesterday. They have a very good butchery section, deli and bread section with eggs from the local farm along with local milk and cheese. The cold meats are cured on the premises, sliced for you and wrapped in wax paper. These shops are rare and they don't have everything I need and are closed on Sunday's which is often my first or only day off and I need to shop then.

When I go shopping, spending my hard earned money, I want to feel a tiny bit valued, just a little bit but sadly I often don't.

Do you feel the same?

Lidl-customer service

Dear reader,

Thank you for your comments when I was moaning on my last post about being overcharged in Lidl, some names I haven't seen before commented which was great.

That night I went onto the Lidl website and using their customer service comments, I sent them a two line moan about my £1.90. I know, I know it's only £1.90.
I entered my address, mobile and email address and waited for the usual reply.

You can imagine my surprise this morning when BM handed me a first class letter which was from Lidl customer service apologising for their error, offering me the £1.90 off any future shop and attached was a £5 voucher to restore my faith in them!

Now that is what I call first class customer service!

No quibble, no defences, no asking me to prove it.

Lidl, you have a very satisfied customer. Thank you.

Food shopping-overcharged!

Dear reader,

Hope you all had a good break over Easter. I went back to work today and we have managed not to do any food shopping for two weeks and one day! Today, however I needed to. I was near a Lidl in quite a nice place and it was great inside.

I spent £52.50 and that will last us the week, hopefully more. This is what I bought.
Mini chicken roast (2 breasts wrapped in bacon with stuffing a chipolatas with gravy) reduced £2.09
Large pack of chicken drumsticks reduced £1.74
Chicken breasts-pack of 2 reduced £1.74

White cabbage 67p
Half leg lamb joint £8.35
Fresh ginger 12p
Mushrooms 89p
Fresh chillies 49p
Baby tomatoes 89p
Braeburn apples £1.19
Carrots 45p
Avocado 79p
Pears £1.19
Living salad trio £1.00
Strawberries £1.49
4 large onions 79p
Little gem lettuce 69p
Two pack avacado£1.49
Milk 89p
Greek style cheese 93p
Cottage cheese 43p
Basmati rice £1.79
12 Fr eggs £1.85
Bottle of wine £4.99 (overcharged me by £1)
Lean mince £2.99 (overcharged me by 90p)
Overcharged me! Yes and I hadn't realised until I was listing it all. I'm really cross. It never, ever seems to go in the favour of the shopper does it and they're so fast at the check out that you can't check the prices. I know it's only £1.90 but if they do that to everyone its a nice earner.
The mince is in the freezer and the wine has been drunk. BM is allowed one bottle a week when he gets a day off but it usually stretches to 2-3.

I was today at a meeting right next door to the shop but if I go back to claim my £1.90 it will cost me more then that in fuel. I could post a letter, again costing me money.

Any thoughts as you are usually sensible and savvy on these matters?

Back to the food for the week. We had the chicken mini roast tonight with potatoes, carrots and peas. BM was still hungry so I gave him the mini fillets which I had cooked in a bag with BBQ seasoning.
Tomorrow will be egg salad wraps for lunch and lasagne and salad for dinner. I think that's the last of the lasagne which I made a couple of weeks ago and froze. We still have "soggy bottom" quiche and pork steaks in the freezer from the last shop. If I get some liver I can make faggots again. I'm hoping to make a few salads as summer is approaching and a few pounds of us both would be good. I shall make a coleslaw from the white cabbage, carrots and onion and the lamb leg will make at least 4 dimmers. We usually have one roast dinner each and one curry each with sandwich leftovers from s large leg. This one is a bit smaller but half the price that I pay in Asda and a lot less than the butcher.
I still have fish in the freezer and I want to try Jamie Oliver's fish curry one night. I always have flour so will make my own flatbreads. Nigella also does a lovely lamb salad so perhaps that will be on the menu too.

Goodnight. X

todays meals.

Dear reader and especially for you Sue. The rolls we made yesterday using the recipe I have linked to post of yesterday. No egg in recipe just becuase we have none. 

Pictured last night while still warm with homemade burger and cheese and today's lunch with ham, cheese and salad. I only had wholemeal flour so that's what I used and we are chuffed with them.

I do not seem able to get on with our bread making machine at all but these handmade ones are great. I'm hoping to try some handmade bread soon too so will keep you posted.

After my long lost blog readers and commenters search I have received one comment from Jo so that's good. I do read via Blogger and Bloglovin but don't seem to have great success with the latter.

Today we are at home making the most of the wind to dry washing. The rain is absent, for now and we have watered our laurels as they went dry last year and have yellowed a bit. We are trying to give them a bit of tlc as we want them to form a boundary hedge in the back garden.

Tonight's dinner is a homemade curry from the freezer, with rice, naan, dhal and onion bhaji.

April tomorrow. Wow, going quickly this year. X

My first great bread!

Success, the rolls are Devine! We are in shock.

Waiting for a rise.

Dear reader,

Nice day just doing house stuff although we did have a walk earlier in gorgeous Marlow. I popped into a charity shop there and the quality was very good. Lots of Karen Millen, Monsoon and even Mahnola Blahnik shoes although the KM handbag was £18 and the shows £35. Didn't buy anything although am always on the look out for mixing bowls and enamel baking tins. No such luck though.

Tonight's dinner started off as homemade burgers, chips and beans but big man fancied burgers in buns. We didn't have any bread so I decided to make some rolls. We have no eggs either so I searched for eggless burger bun recipes and am using this one. http://chefinyou.com/2009/12/dinner-rolls-recipe/
We are still at the first rise stage and bread making is not my greatest skill. (The bread maker and I do not get on and it is still in the cupboard after several tiles of dry cement were made).
Feeling hungry now and needing a snack I had some scallops and prawn started in a white wine sauce from Lidl in the freezer so we have just had those with a warm baguette.
I have to say they were very good, you just cook from frozen for 20 mins and they come in their own little ramekins. Lidl seem to be doing a "posh nosh" range and last week we saw Kangeroo, Venison, three bird and three fish roasts in there. Not sure about the Kangeroo but will have these again.

We are low on fresh food but do have lots in the freezer that I had cooked and frozen. Lasagnes, curries and quiches. We also have a lot of frozen fish that I bought on offer so may try the Jamie Oliver fish curry tomorrow. There is also a frozen vegetarian chilli that I made with Quorn and some pork steaks. I have a few potatoes and a few tins of vegetables.

We have milk but no eggs or bread. No flour left but we have a couple of those baguettes you cook in the oven. I guess I shall have to go shopping tomorrow as packed lunches call and BM likes to have a sandwich and then a hot meal in the evening.

I'd love to be able to spend less on the food shopping and I honestly don't know how some of you do it on £20 a week. I salute you.

Nothing leftover and a message to you.

Dear reader,

I'm having a lazy Sunday. I got up at 5am and promptly went back to bed until 1030. I don't lie in often but do enjoy is occasionally.

I did a load of washing and becuase the weather is awful here I lit the log burner and there are two racks drying in front.

We both had the sweet and sour pork I made last week with some frozen special friend rice I saw in the reduced section at Asda some weeks ago and had stashed in the freezer. A quick microwave lunch for us both.
I sat and watched a bit of the Jamie Oliver programme on how to cook and save money. Not many tips and tricks for those of us who do this anyway but a few nice ideas.
He did a fish curry with some frozen fish, vegetables and frozen cauliflower with some tikka curry paste. Looked very good indeed but was £2.68 a portion with rice. Not exactly frugal food but not bad. I was surprised that frozen white fish is a third cheaper than fresh and cauliflower is three times cheaper frozen than fresh. He also did some crispy pork tacos using leftover pork meat from a roast and a chicken salad from a whole chicken dinner leftovers. I think we all make great meals out of leftovers. I'm not sure they should even be called leftovers! Seconds, we call them here!

I try really hard not to waste any food and limp veg, lettuce, spinach-anything, goes into a soup. Ends of bread are made into croutons or crunchy toppings, meat is either sliced and used in sandwiches, curried or added to a tomato sauce for lasagnes. I reuse sandwich bags for the odd half an onion and cheese is purchased in large blocks, grated, portioned and frozen. It freezes brilliantly. Old fruit is sliced and frozen and used in cold drinks. Old apples, Pears and stoned fruit are cooked and then frozen for crumbles or compote on porridge. Nuts and dried fruit are bought in bulk then portioned for snacks at work and for adding to homemade flapjacks. Extra is made at dinner times for lunches the next day and any excess of vegetables are chooped, blanched and frozen. Milk and cream, if not used in time are frozen and bread is purchased in reduced section and again, frozen.
I'm sure lots of you do the same or have other ideas and suggestions, I would love to hear from you.

I've had a short blogging break as most of us do and am trying to get writing again. It's usually about food or what I have done that day or money saving stuff. I had hoped for a good read with a cuppa today but I find that a lot of the blogs that I used to really enjoy are no longer written.
Obvioulsy there maybe all sorts of reasons why not. After all we don't really know about some of our blogging friends, there could be a tragedy or someone health maybe suffering or they may have been trolled and don't want to blog anymore and that's perfectly understandable but for all of you who, perhaps like me sometimes, just can't be arsed, please do me a favour, drop a really quick blog line down and post it, it would be lovely to hear from you, Mabel and Maisey, Miss Piggy Bank, Frugal up North, closet clearing, frugal Tasmania, a frugal wife, bonnie of Clyde and many others. Just let us know you are doing ok. Xxx

A quick tea and how I cut costs.

Dear reader,

I've been up since 0430. I have to be at work at 0700 and I like to get up and have a potter. Read the news online, drink tea, shower, wash and dry hair and arrive at work early enough to get a parking space. It's a 45 minute drive so I'm out of the door by 0600.

Tonight I knew I had some cooked chicken drumsticks to use up and two approved food pizza bases in the larder. Hmmm Calzones!

Pulled the chicken off the bone, mixed with BBQ sauce and sliced some mozzarella cheese, folded in half and into the oven. I made an "everything" salad to go with.
Lettuce, tomato, olives, anchovies, croutons made of the old end of a loaf fried in garlic oil and crispy fried onions. Just everything I could use up.

I always save the ends of a loaf and put them in the freezer. Great for emergency toast, breadcrumbs, croutons or a summer or bread and butter pudding, into faggots or the topping for a vet able name. Don't throw away the ends.

My other momey savings are using any shower gel, fairy liquid or bubble bath for the hand wash I keep by the sink. I'm always washing my hands during cooking and I keep a pump dispenser by the sink. I just half fill it with whatever I have and add some water.

Porridge oats are our big saving. We used to buy the ready packs, you know the little cute packets you microwave. What a waste of money. We get a huge bag in Asda for 75p and eat this for breakfast with a teaspoon of cheap jam or a handful of blueberries if we want some fruit. I also use them to make flap jacks and always add them to a crumble topping or a handful in a stew, chilli or curry for that extra thick, creamy sauce.

I don't spend out on nails I just keep my own shortish and paint them myself very rarely. My hair is highlighted but thinking of going natural to save the £60 a month.

Make up! Wow that is expensive. I have a limited supply of foundation, powder, blusher, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick. It seems a lot but it lasts for ages, well over a year. I don't wear any on days off. I like to let my skin breathe.
I'm not a fan of expensive creams. I usually buy a mid price face cream. I do have friends that buy the really, really expensive £200 plus brands. They promise to keep you younger looking for longer. The trouble is, when you get to 60,70 and beyond, how do you know if they worked or would you look like that anyway? And would you care?

Hungry girls minestrone.

Dear reader,

Had another nice day at home. Had hoped to hang out some washing but the sky went from sun to dark cloud most of the day with some lashing rain.
I was cold today, we still have the heating on and the log burner for the evenings. We also use it to dry clothes overnight and they are totally dry in the morning.

Today I fancied something hearty and filling to eat and wasn't in the mood for meat. I didn't know what I wanted. I had onion, celery, cabbage, garlic, tinned tomatoes so a hungry girls minestrone it was.

My mum used to cook this when I lived at home it basically a vegetable stew with additions the next day if you fancy.
Chooped onion, garlic and celery, fried in the tiniest bit of olive oil until soft but not brown. Chopped cabbage, any variety will do, add the tinned tomatoes. (I use whole becuase they are cheaper and leave them whole as they keep the sweetness and mush them in when cooked, Jamie said so!)
Salt, pepper, dash of Worcestershire, dash of brown sauce, dash of red sauce, a bit of tomato purée and I always add a sweetener or teaspoon of sugar. I added 3 cups of water and a handful of pasta shapes and just left it.

Two bowfuls with grated, melting cheese on top later and I was replete.

You could add some chopped meat, tin of sweet corn, peas, pulses or even rice, as long as you keep adding liquid.
It calls out for thick crusty bread and butter or a warm ciabatta roll.

What's your comfort food?

X