Living on next to nought - is that the key?

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

lilt - I feel your pain with minimal window ledge space. Here at Greying Towers we have none. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Make sure that you get JM's book from the most cost effective source - last I heard 'the book people' and mrT were the front runners......

So, we WENT FOR A WALK this arvo :j:j The sun was shining and we had a lovely time. NSD ruined as I saw a couple of things I needed YS'd in mrW. What an awful pity that the sales assistant made a show of herself - not just being unbelieving of me that a product had been reduced (that I can accept, I bet they get folk trying it on all the time), but also not believing a senior (in age, not necessarily in status) colleague. According to MISSW2014 the computer cannot be wrong...........

Ho hum.

As we were walking along the high street, it was really quiet - it wasn't until we got to the town park, we found out where everyone was I find it interesting that a lot of people are dismissive of gardening, and yet, the 'busiest' bit of the town park was the central *carpet bedded* bit....... nuff said

Dinner this evening was a roaring success. I had the kitchen to myself, as DP was engrossed in watching a *Delia Christmas Special* :eek: on FN, under the pretence of spotting Delia's pusspuss... cat........... :think: The best thing about all this is that DP has agreed we've not got to do the whole *traditional* Christmas lunch at 1.00pm sharp on Christmas Day palava :j:j We're doing *summat else* (but the dessert must be *Italian*???????) and therefore hopefully cycling or walking for most of Christmas Day - weather dependent - and not eating until the evening

So, back to September.... Dinner this evening was from Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap - it was the Creamy Courgette Fettucine on pg 89, picture here;



This is a brilliant dish, and if you have, for example HG courgettes, you can make it so much cheaper. As it was, I had some YS'd green courgettes and a HG gifted yellow courgette. I bought a 500g bag of tagliatelle from HB for 69p in place of the fettucine, I used a blob of butter left over from scone making, some of the *basics* hard cheese I bought for the pasta dish the other night, I used plain greek yoghurt in place of cream and I only had dried basil in place of the fresh.

WOWSER!

Stunning flavour, quite a cheap dish, and yet as DP pointed out, as good as a fancy restaurant........ 11/10 for this one, Leanne has produced an excellent recipe, that brings *budget* eating to new heights. Brilliant.

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

that I am no longer young and know *everything*... *sigh*

that a little while in the sun can make all the difference

that Christmas Day will no longer be hijacked by a midday meal that no-one in Greying Towers actually needs! :D:D - and the way is open for much more creativity, and therefore, many more memories to be created

Thank you so much for popping in, reading and joining in. Mucho appreciated.

See y'all later.

Greying

satchmo1

Yikes to stale eggs.


Find somewhere that has a fast turnover of organic free-range eggs - or even better someone who keeps chucks and has a surplus to sell.


My DH is very patient with me when I get emotional over something I'm reading out to him. He likes the fact that I care enough to get upset on behalf of someone else (good job, as it's a common occurrence)

maddiemay

Greying, so pleased that you managed a walk in the sun, I didn't get either my walk or bike ride as allergy flared and seemed worse for being outdoors, so I contented myself with a little light watering of the plants that were looking dry and sad and some time in the kitchen. I made Jack's chick pea and chorizo burgers and memory girl (MFiT's) 30 minute rolls and unusually for us ate main meal at lunchtime, it was yummy but a little hard on my aged digestive system, but nothing that a couple of peppermints wouldn't sort out:)

For 30 years OH and I lived near the coast in beautiful Dorset, when not called upon to be away visiting or entertaining family we had a routine at Christmas of light lunch, strenuous walk with dogs on beach or cliffs then home for Christmas meal, sometimes the weather was foul, but it was special to us

Lilt - I too decided today that I will by Jack's book.
Stachmo - OH is well used to seeing me blubbing away whilst reading/on computer or watching TV, so many sad/bad things happening to people and feel so helpless at times, but grateful that on the whole life has been kind and that somehow we have survived our own family's life shattering events:):)

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

maddiemay wrote: »

For 30 years OH and I lived near the coast in beautiful Dorset, when not called upon to be away visiting or entertaining family we had a routine at Christmas of light lunch, strenuous walk with dogs on beach or cliffs then home for Christmas meal, sometimes the weather was foul, but it was special to us

Ooooo, ooooo, ooooo Greying hops from one foot to the other, ooo oooo - which area in Dorset??? I lurves Dorset To be somewhere in Dorset for a Christmas Day would be my idea of heaven - better even than getting DP to agree a significantly less formal Christmas Day in our <insert present location>

New start to the week :T

And yet, Monday, here we go again

I'm going to aim for a NSD today. I haven't checked what to make for dinner yet, because we're having a bit of a change round because of a visitor tomorrow.

Right, I've snap bags to fill up and dinner to sort.

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

See y'all later.

Greying

beanielou

Sorry to hear about work problems
Thanks for thinking of me.
JUst physically & mentally exhausted at the moment & not enough hours in the day.
Life is never easy :eek: :rotfl:

Upsidedown_Bear

beanielou wrote: »

Sorry to hear about work problems
Thanks for thinking of me.
JUst physically & mentally exhausted at the moment & not enough hours in the day.
Life is never easy :eek: :rotfl:

You don't have to be upside down for the hug :cool:

Upsidedown_Bear

General group hug for Greying and everyone.

beanielou

How lovely Upsidedownbear~~thank you

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Ha ha! Upsidedown Bear - your smilies are excellent - definitely raised a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling in this neck of the woods I assure you Thank you Oh, and I'd meant to say a big THANK YOU to you too for your unwavering support in *t'other place* - it's nice to have your support and know that I am not alone, chatting to meself....

Beanie - *sigh* yep, a few [STRIKE]months[/STRIKE] years without the brown stuff hitting the whirly thing would be nice wouldn't it? Glad you can still join us here though Great to *see* ya

I can claim a NSD today :j

I hope you all had good weather - sunshine makes everything seem better

I am really loving my challenge to myself to use Leanne Brown's cookery PDF's - the gal is making it so simple! You will not be in the least bit surprise at tonight's choice of dinner dish - 'coz it screamed 'Buddha Bowl' at me! :rotfl: Tonight I made Leanne's 'Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls' from pg 109 of Good and Cheap Just the sort of grub we like here at Greying Towers I was thrilled, because it used rice - storecupboard staple; I used up the last cupful of brown lentils - too little for a dish in their own right; a red onion and a tin of tomatoes made a sauce; a few leaves off the YS'd summer cabbage from mrW yesterday were shredded and steamed in the microwave with some ground pepper and caraway (super yum ) and I could use 2 veggie sausages (one each) in a dish without seeming cheap! Picture here;



I should add that I didn't cook it as a casserole as Leanne does - I made it on the stove-top and combined on the plate, which I think is probably more fuel efficient and less time-consuming than putting on the oven.

The only thing that I would do differently is cut up a load more cabbage, it shrunk down more than I anticipated And I would use a little more sauce, or think about dressing (for example) the lentils - the dish could use just a smidge more moisture, but otherwise it's yet another winner from Leanne :T In the original dish, Leanne uses chorizo - which led me to add paprika into the sauce, but ordinary meaty bangers would work equally well in this dish too I scaled the quantities back, as the recipe serves 6, but I cooked all the lentils, as they were the last I had of that particular bag - so I have a portion of cooked lentils left over and a little of the tomato sauce.

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

for bumping into my friend, and having a giggle - even though they were rushing to a meeting

for a letter from an Octogenarian - :D:D #besttypeofmail

for simple food that tastes great

Right, I'm away to shout at the telly (England are playing footie against Switzerland........ )

Thank you for popping by, reading and for all the goodwill and kindness that you bring along with you. Mucho appreciated. By me. Always

See y'all later.

Greying

maddiemay

Hi Greying, so pleased that the sun has had his hat on where you live too:)

OH and I lived here

Our nearest town was this one
and we were just 14 miles from https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lyme+regis+dorset&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4LENN_en___GB508&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=sv4NVMT0GdT07AbZlIGADA&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1347&bih=62lovely place

We had a great time and it was hard to leave, but having returned to my home county just 12 miles away from my growing up home I just feel that I am back where I belong, it is every bit as wonderful, but without the sea.