Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

117pauline

We are home after our little jaunt to Solihull. It was great to get away from home and all its usual hassles and worries.

So today we have sorted beds, washing and ironing - me beds and washing, OH ironing!! Result. Love having a fresh bed and if I ever won the lottery I would have clean ironed sheets changed every day!!

I like sorting out the bills and budgets at the beginning of the month. We managed to pay for our little holiday from the grocery budget which was a bonus. I have done the menu plan for the next fortnight so I know what I need to cook/buy. I always prefer to know so I can plan for those days when I don't feel up to preparing food.

So..making do.... halved a YS gammon joint which I would normally have cooked and we would have eaten all of it in one go.
Potatoes with a few eyes peeled for today and tomorrow. Plus about an hour of minimising weeds too. Quite a good day.

As the rain is now here in Nottingham, tea and biscuits is called for!

Keep the MMM flag flying
Pauline

FairyPrincessk

Monna I was lamenting my lack of gardening this year as I was very busy during the spring...and then I got a huge crop of strawberries because the neglected runners were allowed to take over. Maybe someone will trade blackberries for runner beans?

I've had a productive day. We got the shop done and then finished off a few bits and bobs for lunch. I've ordered Maggie the cat's food, changed bed linen sorted ALL of the washing and prepared it for the two rain-free days forecast this week and this afternoon I made a cinnamon tea cake whilst listening to a radio drama. It was lovely, esp. with a little dallop of HM strawberry jam. OH is making tea tonight--courgette lasagne. I've ear-marked a couple of Delia's frugal food recipes to try next week and I'm looking at various blackberry preserves. There are loads of green ones about so I might try to do a few things with them this year.

It was a very rainy afternoon--fortunately we were home from shopping before then because carrying it home in the rain is always so miserable. It has cleared up now, but I sort of enjoyed listening to it and the radio this afternoon.

barneydee_2

I would like to second what 117pauline said about If she won the lottery she would have freshly ironed clean sheets every day this is something I have always said.
Today is going to be spent making a menu plan around what I have got in the fridge/freezer/cupboards because I failed miserably at the grocery challenge & my slimming world has also slipped as I have not planned I need to get back on track on both as money wise I want to have savings as I need work done to the house & at the end of the year I am sixty & want to be another 2 stone lighter by then.
Oh by the way I hope you don't mind me joining in

Dee x

GreyQueen

Has anyone got a recipe for courgette lasagne? I have rather a lot of courgette to get through, all of a sudden............:eek:

silvasava

Some while ago I was given the tip of wrapping cucumbers in tinfoil in the fridge to keep them fresh. My plants have gone berserk so I've been giving lots away but I repurposed a foil bag for mine & just used one that must be nearly 3 weeks old and its perfect! Didn't mean to keep it THAT long!!

Nargleblast

Greyqueen I assume courgette lasagne is made by using layers of sliced courgette instead of pasta with the mince and bechamel sauces - unless someone has a recipe that says otherwise?

candlelight_2013

silvasava, I was told that as well, (probably on here), and it definitely works

Candlelightx

[Deleted User]

GQ slice your courgettes lengthwise, sprinkle with salt and let them drain in a colander for an hour. Dry fry them in a hot pan until they start to colour up and then use them instead of pasta lasagne sheets in your usual lasagne recipe.

FairyPrincessk

We have a veggie recipe for courgette lasagne that is quite hearty. It is the sort of veggie recipe you feed to non-vegetarians. It makes six very generous portions. Apologies I've lost the original, and I've tweaked this a bit to suit our pan size/oven etc. It is far easier to make if you have a food processor or some way to quickly grate the courgettes.

Lasagne Sheets
3 average sized courgettes
3 Cloves of garlic, crushed
1 jar red pasta sauce/equivalent homemade
1 tub ricotta (we buy it on whoopsie and freeze and it is fine for this, you can also make it from scratch)
bit of parmesan or similar (optional)
2 balls mozerella (you can get away with one if you aren't trying to fill boots!)
pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Small bit of oil

Grate the courgettes--a cheese grater also works fine. Cook with garlic and chilli flakes over medium heat in a spoon or so of oil until softened. Spoon out any excess water (this tends to happen if I leave my home grown courgettes on the plant a bit long, less so with the shop bought ones). Remove from heat and stir in ricotta. Layer in baking dish this way, bottom to top repeating until it is gone:

Red sauce
Lasagne Sheets
Courgette mixture
Sprinkle of parmesan
Lasagne
Red Sauce

Try to be generous with red sauce around the corners and on the top layer. Top with mozerella and a generous sprinkle of parmesan which helps it to brown nicely on top. Bake at about 190 for around 30-40 minutes (just check the lasagne is cooked).

FairyPrincessk

Should probably add--we sometimes chuck in leftover spinach. It is much better with the hard cheese but if you don't have any and want to economize it is still a tasty dish without.