Living on next to nought - is that the key?

Piquant_2

Sequins would be scratchy greying. Very uncomfortable I should think.


I like the sound of that Greek casserole, all I need is some spinach. All I have to do is remember to buy some!

Have a good day greying:wave:

Karmacat

Fourthed!

And you may be in luck on the exercise front - I had to do a lot of research about this at one time, for a client who was badly disabled, and **thinking** about exercise, in a concentrated sort of way, gives you an appreciable percentage of the benefits of actually **doing** exercise! It was many moons ago I did the research, so it may be refined (or even disproved :eek:) by now, but at one stage, it was The Truth :rotfl:

As for cooking with oats, you've got Twinks hob nobs recipe, yes? Please say yes! The most forgiving recipe in the world!

Pippi ... you have a media hubby? Well, of course you do, he's a Rock Star ... but it sounds like something more? **regards Pippi in awe, wonders about autograph hunting**

EssexHebridean

Fifthed, or sixthed, or wherever we're up to by now! Always love a read of your diary GP, it's like a nice warm hug it's so lovely and chatty and (lets be honest) foody! :rotfl:

Porridge cake sounds rather wonderful - I can see MrEH approving of that one, must investigate.

The dream sounds fairly uncomfortable GP - I prefer to reserve my running for when it's required for catching a bus, or a train perhaps. I guess if it raised your heartrate at all then it may well have done you some good mind you...

Hoping you gain another NSD today - I'm going for one as well...

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Oh my lor, where to start..... at the beginning would be a good spot I reckon

Pippi - I'm not so sure this 'Ms 0lson' will be a 'keeper' - I showed him your recipe - you're his new 'bestest pal' :rotfl: No seriously, thanks everso, that is one good looking recipe and I have everything in for it - I'll definitely give it a go - watch this space.....:D

Piq - lovely to see ya - thanks for popping by as I know you're busy working and planning for 'the return 'o the lads'

Karma - thank you as ever Yes, I do have the infamous 'Twinks' recipe (please don't try g00gling that at home any new readers...... it'll get you into all sorts of trouble :eek:)

Ay up EH - thank you too A diary ain't nowt without contributions, and I value the time that people give me each day, so very much. Good that you think mrEH will like the recipe too. Mmmm, I'd prefer to limit my running to something important too..... :rotfl:

All in all, today has been fab - and I've not spent a dime, so I'm pretty chuffed and will nab another NSD - thank you so very much, don't mind if I do......:D

Dinner ended up being sausage pasta. The 'recipe' (if you could call it that) is heavily influenced by one that appears in Jaymee's 'Italy' cookbook I think - sausage with oricchette and broccoli - however, his recipe doesn't appear on the net (well, not that I could find) there are, however, loads of other examples. Picture here;



Basically, I cooked up 3 veggie sausages, and some fusilli pasta (separately, natch ) and fried off some onion, celery and garlic. Chopped the sausage and added it to the onion mix and stirred until heated through. Defrosted some broccoli spears (and yes, of course you can use fresh, but I had frozen) and put them in with the - now cooked and drained - pasta and stirred them. I added a dressing of vinegar (white wine normally, but I only have rice at the moment), oil, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, basil and red chilli flakes into the pasta and stirred in the onion/sausage mix. Fully combine, plate up and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over. A dinner fully from stores, using up some left over sausages in a frugal way, with value pasta (mrM) and probably cost about 40p?? a plate? And I have to say, it was satisfying and tasty - DP really liked it, so I was dead chuffed

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

for people who know what they are talking about and who want to do the best for DP and I

for smartphones - I don't have one, but golly, they are useful

for recipe sharers - may you always find a home on this thread

Thank you so much for popping in, for reading and commenting. I'll never get bored of telling you how much I appreciate it, coz it'll never cease to amaze me how generous you all are

See y'all later.

Greying

Karmacat

I'm making up all sorts of stories in my head about what you're doing with somebody else's smartphone :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim

Karmacat wrote: »

I'm making up all sorts of stories in my head about what you're doing with somebody else's smartphone :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

See, I'm too bloomin innocent me......I'd never of thought of it *like that* in a million years :eek::rotfl::rotfl:

And actually, it was for reference for a lump of boring equipment, we looked at a photo, that we could enlarge to see the manufacturers brand.......

Greying

EssexHebridean

I *do* have a smartphone, and you're right, they really are useful!

Sausage pasta is a favourite here for using up the two spare sausages from a pack of six - oddly enough I mentioned just that in my "Frugal Friday" blog post for tomorrow! You is psychic or something, innit! :rotfl:

Karmacat

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

See, I'm too bloomin innocent me......I'd never of thought of it *like that* in a million years :eek::rotfl::rotfl:

And actually, it was for reference for a lump of boring equipment, we looked at a photo, that we could enlarge to see the manufacturers brand.......

Greying

Awww ... I've used my scanner like that this week - I entered a survey/draw for Morrisons, and had to scan my receipt so I could see what the unique number was!

Hope the equipment's okay.

rtandon27

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Dinner ended up being sausage pasta... veggie sausages...

GP your dinner looks just lush!

Cant' begin to tell you how very confuzzled I was when I saw the word sausage! - Forgot that there is such a thing as a veggie sausage! Wondering if I can sneak some of those into the freezer stores & pass them off to the OH as 'meat' :rotfl:

On the other hand we have 3 very lonely regular sausages gathering frost in the freezer so might just use your recipe and swap them in! For the life of me I can't figure out how we constantly end up with stray sausages in the freezer - lol - I think they breed!

Have some Stella M. veggie burgers frozen as well & am wondering if OH woud notice if they were cooked up & snuck into a bun/roll/bap with all the usual toppings? I love the taste of them but he really seems to have a love of the 'moo' kind!

(...and I seventh the motion!):D

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Hi rtandon - yes, it's interesting what we get used to isn't it - and of course, I use the shorthand of 'sausages' knowing what I mean, forgetting that they mean something entirely different for other people. It's like on the rare occasion that we have coffee in a cafe, I (and DP has done it as well) just ask for '2 coffees' and then I'm always surprised to be handed two coffees with milk - I expect the assistant to know that I take mine without by kinetic-telli-transference-insight-wotsit into how I always have it :rotfl:

Ach! today has been hectic. I've had the plumber here to discuss plans. My brain is frazzled. Information overload big style.

It was one of those days today that I bless and curse, in equal measure, that we have no decent takeaway within a 1/2 day drive...... Frankly, the last thing I wanted to do by 5pm was start dinner...............

However, I am awfully glad that I resolved to. Mostly from a *commitment* to this diary and what we're trying to achieve here at Greying Towers. You have to try to marshall the pennies on the hectic days, as well as the planned. And it is the little victories that add up, not just the 'big wins'. Besides which, I figured if I made the dinner that I had stuff for, I could also have a go at making the 'porridge in a pot' chocolate cake that Pippi told us all about

Mind you, I nearly loused up and because my brain was so addled, I put in 2 cups of porridge oats to 2 cups of water - and promptly wandered off to wash some tatties (for HM wedges) - only to return and think 'gosh, this porridge is really thick the water's absorbed fast'...... :doh: I managed to scoop an approximate cup out before it went too far. Lesson: really read and follow the recipe and concentrate when you make something the first time through! :rotfl:

Still, it cooked OK, what do you think?



I don't think you would know that oats were in it - apart from the odd flake or two. The taste reminds me of school chocolate pudding that was always served in squares. DP likes it So the recipe's a keeper The only thing that I would do different - when I'm not gallivanting about on me yacht, is to make the porridge, melt the butter into it and then transfer it into a bowl - it will be easier to mix up. There was a little unmixed flour in the cake, because of the straight-sided saucepan. I think it is reasonably frugal - it makes a lot and you can either make it as is, or 'dress it up' with other flavours - I bet orange would be good Thanks Pippi

I wasn't going to bother taking a pic of dinner, as it was in effect 'use ups' but then I thought, well, I'm not embarrassed that it is *a bitsa* meal, so I took a pic of DP's plate;



It is HM wedges, HM barbecue beans with the 2 remaining 'Jack 9p burgers'. I had the left over nut roast 'burger' from Christmas. Making the wedges meant that I could use the oven to make the cakes. Making dinner meant that my brain concentrated on something other than heating system bits and pieces :eek: And despite some errors, edible food has been put on the table :T and whilst I was rueing that we were mid *dry* January earlier, again, it goes back to the point about being able to overcome the urge to spend, as the point of saving the money will be much more beneficial in the long run <--- smug smilie :rotfl:

I had a NSD today :T

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

that I know some kind people

that I've tracked down KC's new diary over on MFW

that it was discernibly lighter at 5.00pm this evening :T

Thank you for popping in, reading and commenting. I greatly appreciate it.

See y'all later.

Greying