Single Money Saver living on my own

Jake'sGran

squeaky wrote: »

Bread in the slow cooker?

Wow!

Tell me more!

Please

This really is a mystery. I have been making bread by hand for many many years and my mind boggles at the thought of making bread in a SC unless Tindella is referring perhaps to the first rising of the dough and even then it doesn't seem right as when a big lump of dough is made it must not be touching heat. It needs to be in a warm place, covered with a polythene bag.
Which reminds me, my grandson will be waiting for his teacakes tomorrow and I forgot to make them today.:o (His Mum stopped using her breadmaker ages ago!)

Jake'sGran

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

Following on the pasta theme of Jake's Gran's post above, I have just done what is probably the cheapest and simplest cooked meal imaginable.

o, I just boiled 100g of dried spaghetti, drained it, put a little bit of grated cheese over it (Tip: pasta cools quickly, so grate the cheese while the spaghetti is cooking) and tossed it all together.

It cost just pennies, it was quick and easy, yet it was fairly healthy and nutritious, very filling and really "hit the spot", as they say.

PS. I think I might need to add some kitchen scales to my list of useful things in my first post on this thread. I need some way of controlling portion sizes, not only for my waistline, but also to ensure that you do get 5 x 100g servings out of a 500g pack of spaghetti, for example.

I remembered after my posting that I forgot to say that if anyone makes the tomato sauce you will prefer it if it is smooth or smoothish. I used to liquidise it. If you don't have a liquidiser you can mash it with a potato masherand remove any tomato tops that seem to be in some tinned tomatoes. Also, add a dash of lemon juice or vinegar for a bit of sharpness. And Stephen is right about his pasta just with cheese. The Italians often use just pasta and the very best olive oil - with parmesan and good bread on the side. Wish I could invite you all round for an Italian!!

squeaky

Jake'sGran wrote: »

This really is a mystery. I have been making bread by hand for many many years and my mind boggles at the thought of making bread in a SC unless Tindella is referring perhaps to the first rising of the dough and even then it doesn't seem right as when a big lump of dough is made it must not be touching heat. It needs to be in a warm place, covered with a polythene bag.
Which reminds me, my grandson will be waiting for his teacakes tomorrow and I forgot to make them today.:o (His Mum stopped using her breadmaker ages ago!)

I did a search. It seems that it can be done. Try this...

Crock pot (slow cooker) bread recipe search

Jeffnory

Wilkinsons are doing Sabichi slow cookers for £12.99 with a low,high and auto cook.Got one yesterday and it seems to work well. The instructions with it are very basic but you can go to there web site for more detailed instructions if you have never used one before.

Winky,_The_House_Elf

Wow! this thread is perfect for me!

I already use a slow cooker and batch cook stuff, I'll post some recipes when I get around to it.

I really need to take stock of my freezer and cupboards, as I am a big hoarder! I get bored and can't face the same meal more than once in a week , but then I forget what I have got in and start cooking again.

Started dating someone special again at the start of December,after 15 months living on my own , and 5 years of living with a financially careful Dutchman who I never went out to have fun with (Cheaper to stay in!) but boy is it expensive! Its not just the dates themselves, but us ladies like to look our best!

Initially I wanted to split everything down the middle,(being an independent lass) but realised that I can't afford it on my budget. So, after a couple of weeks I was honest and said that I couldn't afford to be eating out 3-4 times a week or be out in clubs and pubs as I saw it we had 2 options

1) We went out a lot less, watching how many rounds we had sticking to my budget, and keeping an eye on what we ordered at restaurants- which however you dress it up isn't romantic and my new boyfriend felt uncomfortable with.

or 2) If he still wants to go to lots of clubs and restaurants, we cut back on the number of times and I reciprocate by inviting him to mine for home cooked meals, bottles of wine and a DVD.

Naturally we went down the second route. He doesn't realise that I am being extremely frugal, he really appreciates the effort in cooking from scratch, the care and love I put into it and I am having fun teaching him to cook! Whilst we still go out a couple of times a week it's more manageable.

But its early days yet and for 95% of the time I am on my own with my 2 doggies, so I will watch this board with interest. Its hard to eat healthy when its just for you.

Any suggestions for cheap dates??? OS???

Right off to sort out these cupboards!

Winky x

Stephen_Leak

Suggestions for OS dating? Be afraid, be very afraid!

I suppose we ought to get the obvious one out of the way: whilst we blokes do like our dates to be nicely dressed, its whats inside that we're really interested in. And yes, that was deliberately worded to be ambiguous.

Anyway, following on from my basic spaghetti post above, I have been looking around for other "minimalist" recipes, suitable for us busy singletons. I've found another simple spaghetti one: just lightly fry off a clove of garlic per person (the recipe says finely chopped, but crushed, granules or paste might be better) in 2 tablespoons per person of olive oil and toss 100 - 125 grams per person of cooked spaghetti into this.

PS. However, the garlic might make it a bit unsuitable for an OS romantic dinner.

PPS. I have found this dish, called "Aglio e Olio" (garlic and oil) and an Italian classic, for £8.50 on a restaurant (and not in London) menu!

ali1972

redspot24 wrote: »

Yay for this thread - I love OS money-saving but got a bit disillusioned as so much is family-orientated.

Has anyone got any tips for cooking for one when you don't have a big freezer? I only have an ice box and I don't like to use it (the door falls off it a lot so things have a habit of defrosting themselves - boo hiss to the landlord) so struggle with the whole batch cooking thing. I do have a slow cooker though.

My top singleton tip is turn your immersion heater off (at least I think it's called an immersion heater - the thing that heats your water up!). I knew I could manage with my electric shower and boiling water for washing up, and it's saved lots of money and it's environmentally friendly. When I want a bath, I just pop the booster on - and I challenge myself to clean the bathroom while that takes affect!

I feel your pain! I too suffer from the "icebox instead of freezer" problem! And I don't want to eat the same dish 4 days in a row. I'd love a freezer but don't have the room. I keep an eye out for "meals for 2" recipe books. That way I can eat half one day and take the other half into work as part of a packed lunch. Also, a friend of mine suggested teaming up with someone else at work who also cooks meals for 2: you bring in the other portion to work the next day and swap dishes! Unfortunately none of my colleagues seem to cook...

There's a BBC Good Food book called 101 Meals for 2 which is very handy - I think I mentioned it in an earlier post. Also, unless you're a vegetarian, go to a supermarket with a fresh meat counter. That way you can just buy one portion of each thing. 125g of mince is just right for a one person's portion of shepherds pie or one portion of bolognese. Likewise, you can buy one fillet of meat rather than the prepacked boxes of 2 or more.

Trying_to_save_2

Hi Everyone,

I've written 2 messages in the last 15 mins and managed to 'lose' both of them by catching the flipping space bar by mistake... :-(...

Just to say I'm new to the site as a contributer, though have 'lurked' for quite a while. Love the Singles thread and want to post a couple of ideas next time I'm on here - this site is SOOO addictive and I lose track of time on here as I spend ages reading all the good tips and advice. So since I really want to go and watch Messiah on BBC 1 now, I'll write more again.

All the best to everyone and Happy Saving :-)

T to S

JaySL

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

Suggestions for OS dating? Be afraid, be very afraid!

I suppose we ought to get the obvious one out of the way: whilst we blokes do like our dates to be nicely dressed, its whats inside that we're really interested in. And yes, that was deliberately worded to be ambiguous.

Anyway, following on from my basic spaghetti post above, I have been looking around for other "minimalist" recipes, suitable for us busy singletons. I've found another simple spaghetti one: just lightly fry off some garlic (crushed or maybe granules) in some olive oil and toss the cooked spaghetti into this.

PS. However, the garlic might make it a bit unsuitable for an OS romantic dinner.

Hi! There is a variation to the above recipe. I know it is adding on to the 'minimalist' approach but it might add variety/ veg to a very good basic dish as above....

i found this Spaghetti with garlic and spinach recipe from a Bill Granger recipe book. I do a variation of it quite often as I really like spinach and it's very quick.

Basically put olive oil, garlic and chilli (if fresh )in a frying pan over medium heat and cook, stirring often for about 5 mins until garlic is golden. Add the spinach,stir fry then add the drained pasta and toss to coat well. season with salt.
If you want/have any, you could sprinkle with parsley, and serve with grated parmesan. (I must admit I never bother with parsley and parmesan cheese)

Re garlic - i use garlic flakes bought from the market (quite cheap for a big bag and keeps well). you could just soak in hot water while u wait for the frying pan to warm up.

Re chilli - i tend to use the dry chilli and garlic with grinder (BTW, found this in the 99p shop) and just add to the dish at the end, quick toss and serve.

The original recipe does use white wine, which you could add in after frying the garlic

Pink.

Winky,_The_House_Elf wrote: »

Any suggestions for cheap dates??? OS???

Hi Winky,

It's an older thread, but there are some good moneysaving ideas on this older thread:

The Great 'Cheap Date' Hunt

Pink