Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

themadvix

Hi All,

Definitely had to think creatively about this yesterday - there was lots of minimising, but less so of the other two!

I made do with the end of the bread for my lunch - it was a bit dry, but the new loaf was still frozen, so I didn't fancy that! I mended (here's where it gets creative!) the peanut butter.... I bought a large tub of organic crunchy stuff from someone on Ebay (local collection) ages ago. It's now out of date, but that's not an issue. However, it had separated and I'd tended to use the soggier stuff, so yesterday I put a load of the dry stuff in the food processor with some oil and blitzed it - result is much easier to spread and eat!

Minimised paperwork and some mung bean seeds (and other things, but my memory has minimised them too!) - DH has been asking for bean sprouts with stir fries for a while (and I don't buy things wrapped in plastic - e.g. supermarket beansprouts), so I chucked some seeds in a jar and we'll see if they sprout - they're definitely past their BB date!

Going to minimise some banana cake now....

Vicky

HOWMUCH

Hello and good afternoon MMMer's
Welcome to the new posters so glad you've come to join in the more the merrier.
I've lined a pair of curtains for DD I already had some left over navy cotton which I made a pair of sheets for DS when he was younger and I'd stored the rest. So it's come out if the cupboard to be used hopefully it will do the trick and keep DGS in bed alittle longer, we are trying to get rid of the light coming from the side of his blackout blind.
The SC is fully loaded with food, I've managed to get some extra thick double cream YS this will be turned into a trifle and some will be used on the last of an apple pie after our meal tonight. I'd already got the other items for the trifle in the cupboard. I've used 1 of my 20p tins of strawberries and YS trifle sponges I got after Christmas.
Knitting for the rest of the afternoon then a chapter of my book to read.

Hugs to all those who needs one x

Treasurequeen

Hello everyone, I cant believe its the 1st April where is this year going? I have minimised two carrier bags of books and annuals ready to take to the charity shop tomorrow. And I have minimised my filing rack and filed everything and shredded the rest. Of which the shredding will go in the compost bin. I have also minimised two bottles of reed diffuser oil to a relative as I make my own now and didn't want to throw them away.

Tea tonight was fishcakes, wedges and leftover leeks and carrots in a cream cheese sauce as I'm trying to use everything up in the fridge as am going away next week. The fridge is pretty empty now except for the essentials.

Today I mended two canvas shopping bags as they had a huge hole in each corner and they aren't very old either. But now they look just like new. :T

iamsalt

Hello everyone, gorgeous sunny morning here in Kent.
You have all been doing so well.

Off to do the shopping early so I can get in the garden. I did spend on a large garden pot yesterday. I want to reduce the number of pots in the garden, but use bigger ones for the plants that need to be in pots. Loads of the pots have split and flaked this winter so need replacing, and as I get the garden tamed more plants can be planted out. So while buying a pot isn't making do, it does minimise a number of other pots, and makes me smile to see it.

We made do with freezer dinners yesterday, normally OH likes a take away so I try to preempt that and remember to get something out.

Mending - none has been happening so the pile grows bigger...better get on with it later.
S x

dND

Can you take MMM’ing too far? Over Christmas I was tasked to make dairy-free brandy butter for the shared meal we were having. Turns out that here in France it is neigh on impossible to buy dairy-free spread that is palm-oil free as well – I looked at so many labels, including those prominently marked on the packaging as olive oil or sunflower etc. spreads.

I eventually picked the least palm oil one and proceeded to make a very boozy and lemony ‘butter’. However the spread contained too much water (to make it spread, but it is expensive water given the cost of the spreads) so the brandy was difficult to incorporate and the ‘butter’ was more akin to cream.

I then managed to find a baking margarine in block form which hadn’t been on the shelves before – a common problem here, a lot of things aren’t re-ordered until they’ve sold out completely. :eek:

There was no way I was ditching the previous attempt as there was a cup or two of brandy in it, :beer: so I incorporated the block margarine, plus sugar, until I finally got something that would just about hold together and look like brandy butter. Everybody loved it but only eats brandy butter at Christmas.

The point of this long saga is to explain why I ended up with nearly a pound of brandy butter.

Being on a diet, (as always), I decided to use the many chocolate moulds I have (could be a reason why I’m always on a diet :rotfl: ) to affect portion control and froze it all.. But again by dint of being on a diet I’ve not really had many puddings where I could use it up. However I think I’ve found a way.

I noticed that there is an alarming trend these days to consume coffee with a week’s worth of calories, :eek: so blow the diet, time for a little indulgence and an experiment.

My first coffee of the day now consists of black coffee with one ‘chocolate’ worth of brandy and lemon butter and even if I say it myself it’s rather nice but no way could I have two in a row. It may take a little time but slowly I will conquer the brandy butter mountain. Then there will just be the mountain of me still to conquer. :rotfl: :rotfl:

Happy MMM'ing to all. xx

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
dND must say your brandy butter coffee do sounsd a very nice way to use it up. Had to smile as I did a similar thing a few years ago I got it into my head to make marzipan instead of buying it. I miscalculated and made a huge amount that cost an absolute fortune. I think quite a few cake making friends got given hm marzipan that year.

pollyanna_26

JACKIE Coming out of lurkdom on this thread to mention Jack Monroes "Tragedy Mash " . Mashed sweet potato , red onion gravy and whatever you fancy to accompany . She adds chilli to taste to both the mash and the gravy - I use a few chilli flakes and confess I can eat a big bowlful without anything else . Proper comfort food , hence the name .
polly

candygirl

pollyanna_26 wrote: »

JACKIE Coming out of lurkdom on this thread to mention Jack Monroes "Tragedy Mash " . Mashed sweet potato , red onion gravy and whatever you fancy to accompany . She adds chilli to taste to both the mash and the gravy - I use a few chilli flakes and confess I can eat a big bowlful without anything else . Proper comfort food , hence the name .
polly

Sounds yummy! Will have to try this, thanks

WeeMidgie

Hello again MMMers,

Make do: I had made a Remoska casserole midweek using up odds and ends with some lamb ribs. Two main meals later, there was still one rib lurking in a thick bean and sliced potato goo. Not quite enough for tonight's tea. So I added half a container of curried sweet potato soup, and voilà. It was yummy, everything got used up and I'm nicely full up!

Mend: one of the pegs on a sock-and-undies drying multi-hanger had fallen apart. I managed to work out how to re-assemble it and it's doing sock-drying duty again already. Really pleased with myself. Small victories give the most pleasure!

Minimise: I've about 12 ballpoint pens to take into the office... They tend to accumulate (breed?) in my handbag, worth the occasional deep clear out! I've tied the pens together and I've moved them to my "briefcase" (a very pretty shopper) for ferrying back to the office.

pollyanna_26

Candygirl The full recipe has a few other bits and pieces in , but I it's so quick with the basics it's my go to when I'm too tired to make much effort . She adds cheese and I can't imagine cheese and onion gravy together - but that's probably just me .
You can get it on google I think it's fiery sausages with tragedy mash .
polly