Living on next to nought - is that the key?

liltdiddylilt

Evening GP.... et al!

I HAD to come in and show you THIS as I am rather proud of it. If you *cough* ignore the fact that there is *cough* minced beef in and pretend it is some lovely veggie quorn type mince... This is my donated marrow being put to good use! Stuffed marrow bake!

The mince is half a chopped onion, garlic cloves (x3!), 1 donated courgette, tomato puree, mixed herbs and extra basil, chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper, mild chilli powder & cayenne pepper... It is HOT and garlicky, but once the marrow has sucked the flavour it is pleasantly warming! Topped with a smidge of cheese after baking in the oven under foil for half an hour... it was delicious! Really, the nicest meal I have had in ages! And I have done a lot of out there cooking recently.

Thank you for as always inspiring me to do better. Meal planning a month... that I need to work up to. I have all on doing a week! (It is Friday and I have as yet not done this weeks meal plan starting Monday... :rotfl:

little_sweetie

Igamogam wrote: »

Here is one I use all the time.

Ooooh, thank you! I took a quick peek and will go back later!

Upsidedown_Bear wrote: »

For you

If you do a search on the global world wide interwebs for smileys, animated emoticons or similar you should find plenty.



Time for a break from this for some of this

Thank you sooo much, Upsidedown Bear. I love 'em!


GP, do have a great holiday weekend. You have reminded me that a September food plan is a very good idea. DH was doing an oil change for my car this afternoon (much cheaper than a garage service!) which gave me time to make and freeze some Jack's Burgers for next week then use up some of my store cupboard ingredients to make enough flapjacks and Fat Rascals to keep him happy over the long weekend. I did, however, succumb to half a warm Rascal spread with butter...oops couldn't help it Guv...I did go for a walk afterwards to burn the calories :A

Night night, GP and chums...sleep well...x

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Up with the larks, and feel like we've done a days work already

Had an early brekkie, had a battered and bashed banana (perils of being in a lunch bag ) to use up, so I made banana pancakes (pg 18) from Good and Cheap (the $4 a day book ). They were super simple to make - mrsinvisible, little_sweetie and supersaver - making them with your grandchildren/children immediately sprang to mind........ I'm sorry for the poor pic, p'bucket was really playing up this morning - the original is actually in focus!



The blackberries are last year's foraged and the orange zest is just *poncey* me I would definitely make the recipe again - I did half measures and it yielded 8 and a half pancakes. They stayed 'puffed up' better than any Nigella recipe I have followed too. If you haven't cup measures, then THIS conversion site may help you.

Fortified, we then went shopping - We had to go to the nearby 'big town' as we were after paint in the HB sale They also have a mrT nearby, which is huge and caters for a much more diverse population. I had a good look, but only came away with a jar of coffee and a bunch of coriander Also, I was almost tempted by their onion offer, but they worked out at 40p a kilo, and I knew that mrL had 1kg of onions for 39p this weekend. Plus the mrT onions were small, you have to peel loads for each dish! :rotfl:

So, having done a huge loop and taken in 5 shops and tried the bank (shut) I can say that we made best use of fuel, got some bargains and had a little jaunt around the county Also, I am pleased to report that everyone seems to have gone away for the holiday week end - so it was comparatively quiet Very important when DP is in tow

Dinner last night was good. Didn't get a brilliant pic of it, but here's my attempt;



The mushrooms were lush I think spinach would have been a good addition, but having paid only 9p for a double bag of wild rocket in mrM t'other day, I needed to utilise it It kept well actually You can't see it too well, but there is half an avocado in there somewhere, that was nicely ripe :j But unfortunately the only one and it was a bit small I toasted up some sunflower and pumpkin seeds and put them on top - I have no walnuts - and then, rather than the yoghurt sauce and feta that Heidi uses (and I normally use, well, feta on its own more likely, but still....) I used the white bean and lemon dressing that I came across in my Buddha bowl travels. It worked really well. If I had these components, I would definitely make it again The recipe for the barley bowl (original version) can be found HERE The recipe for the white bean dressing can be found HERE (scroll down).

lilt - you have made stuffed marrow look totally yummy. WELL DONE :T

little_sweetie - thank you for your kind words, but you're doing all the hard work! Well done on making the burgers to freeze though, they are so good to just whip out and cook if you're pressed for time. Go with so many things too

Right, I really must dash....... the decorating prep is calling.......

See y'all later.

Have a great day.

Greying

Upsidedown_Bear

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Good Morning :hello:

Up with the larks, and feel like we've done a days work already

Had an early brekkie, had a battered and bashed banana (perils of being in a lunch bag ) to use up, so I made banana pancakes (pg 18) from Good and Cheap (the $4 a day book ). They were super simple to make - mrsinvisible, little_sweetie and supersaver - making them with your grandchildren/children immediately sprang to mind........ I'm sorry for the poor pic, p'bucket was really playing up this morning - the original is actually in focus!

Maybe I need my eyes testing - the photo is in focus for me :rotfl:

little_sweetie

Me too, Upsidedown Bear :cool:

Anyway GP those pancakes look scrumptious. I'll definitely give them a go and that's a brilliant idea to let the GC 'help' me :eek: Seriously, they seem more inclined to eat things if they've helped to prepare them.

Speaking of Jack's 9p burgers, I find they are a bit bland for my taste (probably not enough salt...well, none actually) do you add anything to yours in the mixing? I've been popping them on a bun with salad and salad cream but I'm sure I could add something extra in the mix :think: Any suggestions welcome!

Have a great (if showery) day x

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Went the day well Dear Reader?

We didn't achieve as much as we ought, but, having said that, we worked on some 'problems' (storage) and managed to work out what wouldn't work, so all in all.......

little_sweetie - yes, I add salt, I'm just trying to think what else I do, as I would say the burgers are tasty, but I'm quite prone to taking a recipe and going into 'auto' mode with it, so there is a possibility that I add other ingredients, or prepare it differently to Jack. Let me have a think on what I do, and I'll report back.....

Belatedly this afternoon, we decided to venture up to the High Street to pick up more decorating supplies. Not far from home, we bumped into a 'stranger' - and you know you can just tell when they are glad to see a friendly face..... well, the stranger asked us directions to a prominent building in the metropolis. Having tried to determine if we were singing from the same hymnal about said building, it was obvious that the stranger was way out of their way...... I mean way out...... T'would of taken an A4 pad to have described directions, so we said, 'c'mon, we're headed in the direction, we'll take you....'

So, today I met someone from Penicuik And do you know what, Dear Reader? For some unexplained reason, I knew how to spell it, despite never having been there..... and having no connection to it.....

We got them to within 100 yards of their destination, it was fail-safe from where we left them I'm pleased that they were visiting our area, and they felt that it was important to visit specific places within the area. Visitors like that are always welcome

We popped into HB this afternoon to get some tatties for a little project that I have in mind (food-wise) and they had every flavour of naan bread (sharw00ds brand) in 2 packs for 29p. Although I should make my own, I decided that a pack of peshwari naan may well go with tonight's dinner. As it was a curry plate, I was onto something of a sure bet Picture here;



And Upsidedown Bear and little_sweetie you are both very kind, and it is probably my eyesight that is wonky, but the originals of these photos are definitely in pin-sharp focus - these ^ pictures ain't

From the bottom left, we have pineapple curry a Leon creation that I have made before. I used mrT EDV pineapple chunks - I think they were about 38p????? for quite a large tin. Very good, would use again A little ring mould of rice - about 50 - 75g, as we had the naan too. Then there is beetroot curry thank you Rick Stein Lovely recipe, much used at Greying Towers If you need the recipe for sri Lankan curry powder, see the first bit of THIS recipe. Then I have the dhal, for which I can find not a mention on the internet (for that particular recipe ) and the shop-bought naan (that were really dark before I put them under the grill - I didn't burn them )

A very nice dinner, that cost very little, but delivered on taste. Very satisfied

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

that we were able to help a stranger - as I am sure we would be helped if we visited their home town

that we were able to envisage a project and saw all the pitfalls - version #1 is definitely filed in the wastepaper basket.......

that we have achieved quite a bit, whilst being in 'relaxed' mode - what was needed really

Thank you so much for popping in, reading and contributing. I greatly appreciate it

See y'all later.

Greying

beanielou

What a lovely thing to do.
Penicuik is over the Forth bridge from me.
Near the now famous Rosslyn Chapel.
These are the most awesome bridges in the world.
https://www.google.com/search?site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=forth+bridge&oq=forth+&gs_l=img.1.1.0l8j0i10j0.7129.9830.0.17236.6.6.0.0.0.0.123.686.0j6.6.0....0...1ac.1.52.img..0.6.683.Kxxz-pdnhQo&gws_rd=ssl#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=xFNJ5Z0Gw3LSwM%253A%3BDu-Y9c5-cuMrhM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fcommons%252F4%252F4f%252FBb-forthrailbridge.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FBenjamin_Baker_(engineer)%3B2272%3B1204

https://www.google.com/search?site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=forth+road+bridge&oq=forth+&gs_l=img.1.0.0l8j0i10j0.3637.5772.0.8763.6.6.0.0.0.0.129.572.0j5.5.0....0...1ac.1.52.img..1.5.571.K3Ugu9Yj1wI&gws_rd=ssl#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=1CB-gG5JHH7ZlM%253A%3BgF_ZXmZuRB16cM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.simpsonfineart.com%252Fcatalog%252Fimages%252FForth-Road-Bridge-By-Night.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.simpsonfineart.com%252Fcatalog%252Fforth-road-bridge-night-p-158.html%3B400%3B304

mrsinvisible

Baking with the DGCs what is it about that cosy sounding phrase that strikes fear in my heart!!!! no, really good fun and yes, makes them more inclined to eat the results.
The pancakes look gorgeous, must go 'blackite-ing' soon, as my supply is low.
Glad you had a good day yesterday, GP, and just like you to be so helpful to a stranger. My AF order arrived yesterday, so my cupboards are well full again, and my famine fear is averted. Off to have a good day in the garden getting the borders ready for autumn xxx

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Ah, now see beanie - you have absolutely proved my theory, if I was in your neck of the woods, and I needed assistance - kind locals, such as yourself, would set me right I agree, those bridges are lovely, although I always see 'dinosaurs' walking through water when I see a pic of the Forth Bridge

mrsinvisible and little_sweetie - the last thing I meant to do was strike fear in your hearts at the thought of cooking with little people :rotfl: I thought it would be a good recipe, because she likens it to making muffins, and you don't have to be too fussy with mixing the batter thoroughly. I am absolutely useless at muffins, I think it is the pedant in me that can't let flour go unmixed :rotfl: But usually, kids are ace at making muffins, so that was my reasoning. Plus, as you say, if they have success at making something, then they are perhaps more likely to eat it

Right, so we got up bright and breezy this morning, and I make a 'brunch dish' for brekkie, in the hope that we can go for ages before DP starts to complain of being hungry....... wish me luck, I reckon come 1pm the whining will start..... *sigh*. So I used the excuse of needing to make something substantial to have a bash at a recipe I saw in the Morito cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark. I made a 'deconstructed' version of Huevos Rotos - which apparently means 'broken eggs'. My attempt here;



Now, before you all say 'that's wrong', I know that normally the egg is scrambled in with the other ingredients, but I wanted to do it a little differently, so all the ingredients are in there (apart from green bell pepper as I had none) but in a different order. If you would like the 'proper' version, you can find it HERE I used 2 veggie sausages sliced up in the mix, and I used 1 egg in my usual 'thin' omelette, although it was a bit thicker, as I cooked it in the small fry pan that the sausages were cooked in. I topped the egg with a 'salsa' of HG red and yellow tomatoes, a little bit of green chilli pepper chopped up and some capers. I sprinkled a teeny bit of HG parsley over (its not thrived this year, so I only have a bit ) and a sprinkle of sumac - none of which is in the original recipe.

Right, well, I think I've procrastinated enough, best really get on with the decorating prep now........

See y'all later.

Greying

lobbyludd

as usual - looks delicious GP - puts my bacon sarnies for brunch to shame.

My parsley's been very understated this year too, usually I'm hacking it back with a machete as it does it's best to outgrow the mint, but not this. Hopefully it's just having a pause year.