The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

beanielou

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

I was listening to R2 also. Am I the only one who can't imagine having so much money that I could make that size of a donation to charity?

I think that each & every year.
How the other half live!!!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Yep. I understand the discussions about the donations, but I don't suppose that charity was the actual motivating factor. I suspect 'experiences that money can't ordinarily buy' is a far bigger draw. Plus I'm sure that it isn't down to one person's cheque - they gaggle together and chip in a portion each - still a wodge of cash, I concur, but not often double figures, which is all we hear about. Besides which, Beanie and INOD, I bet that if you counted up the amount of time, donations of things or bits of cash that you donate to charity over the course of a year, then I really expect you'd be amongst the 'generous' set of givers. The charities need volunteers to function, and they need regular funding, not just one-offs, so we're all playing our part, just don't get to be on the radio about it........

So, I took the milk over to the community hub yesterday for the FB. The friendly receptionist was on again :jIt is far easier to hand over the milk bagged. I hope I can continue to do it like that each time I donate. Wish it made it a bit lighter to carry over there though....... :rotfl:

I spotted the windfall apples bucket outside the shop on my way over with the milk, and remembered to go that way on my return. I think they are starting to really have reached their limit now, as the birds have obviously been taking their choice pecks from them I also had to evict a stowaway slug Couldn't be bothered to carry 'im about! :rotfl:

In diverting to the shop with the apples, I came back a different way to that intended and promptly forgot to go to the building society to put Baby Greying's fiver in their account - doh! :doh:So, that'll be a task for today! However, it is on the same side as the newsagents, so I'll be picking up the TV mag anyway.

Two outta three ain't bad.

Tea last night was the veggie scrapple - un-fried version It was OK. I had read EH's comment about clagginess, and I have to say I would agree, so I had a thought to add in some grated apple (some cox's, not the windfalls), to lighten it a little. It just about worked. It wouldn't have wanted to be any denser I don't think, otherwise it would have been a chore to eat. I now have 4 slices left over, which have been put in the freezer, and will be done in the 'fried' version next time. Still, if you don't try these things out, you don't know, do you? I served the scrapple with a baked potato, sliced carrots and parsnips (steamed) and some savoy cabbage - from Sunday night and re-heated. Picture here;



I had bought a mahaoooosive Savoy from the Market on Saturday for 75p. Far better than any supermercado offering, with plenty of the dark green outer leaves, where all the 'good stuff' is Going to use up some more of it tonight

Edit: I forgot to add, that as I had the oven on and wanted to use up the windfalls, I made Eve's Pudding. I don't know what variety the apples were (they have seemed to differ each bucket load), but they were the type to not break down. Actually OK in an eve's pudding. I was going to make custard, but couldn't be bothered in the end, so we had it with icecream. I put vanilla extract, ginger powder, ground cloves and cinnamon into the batter mix. Nice.

Tonight is soup night, and I'm going for one from 'Save wif Jaymee'. I think it is a thrifty soup, but there are quite a few components to it, so it might prove a bit labour intensive to make. Still, you pay for convenience, so I have to cut my cloth, etc.......

Right, Baby Greying is indicating that they would like a dollop more of my attention thank you very much, so I'd betta vamoose.

Ta for popping in, reading and joining in the conversation. Much appreciated. As ever.

Greying X

beanielou

You are right Grayling.
I am chair of a disability charity and I give a lot of time and effort sometimes at the depriment of my health.
I also volunteer with lovely local food bank.
So yes when you look at it like that.

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou wrote: »

You are right Grayling.
I am chair of a disability charity and I give a lot of time and effort sometimes at the depriment of my health.
I also volunteer with lovely local food bank.
So yes when you look at it like that.

:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T

I just checked the website of our local foodbank. I am 99.9% certain that milk will always be on their 'most wanted' list, but it's not good to get complacent, so I always make sure. Anyway, I noticed that they have put up a list of items that they would be interested in receiving for Christmas - which I think is really proactive and useful. So many times on MSE folk have said that their local FB have rejected their gifts of a nice tin of biccies, or a tub of sweets, on the basis that 'we can't give to one and not the other' (and doubtless sighting elfin safely legislation to boot......). Our is actually asking for nice biscuits, tinned ham, mince pies, christmas crackers etc etc. :T They've specified what they would like, and as they also get cash donations, I assume that they would be in a position to make up any stock 'shortfall', so that everyone can have a slice of the pie How organised!

Greying X

beanielou

Ours is a local independent food bank.
We also have a list for Christmas and our weekly list changes well weekly. :rotfl:
We would never reject any donations
Also good to remember pet food & toiletries ( although not all DB's take.)

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou wrote: »

Ours is a local independent food bank.
We also have a list for Christmas and our weekly list changes well weekly. :rotfl:

Ours too Beanie

And quite frankly, what a boon it is that FB's publish lists - Christmas wants/needs or 51/52 other weeks of the year ones, as it helps folk plan what to get. I've just managed to pick up 6 individual, really good quality, fruit-based soft drinks, dated well into next year, for less than the cost of most folks (bought) lunchtime sandwich. I never get cheap cr*p that I wouldn't eat myself, but knowing what to look out for means that I can get good quality for fair prices, and sometimes, more 'bang' for my donational 'buck' The drinks are on the Chrimbo list for our FB and will form part of the donation budget that I have in mind. I also spotted a source for something else on the list, and purely by keeping my eyes open - as it's not a product I normally buy for our household - I've been able to spot 14p difference in price between stores That's be 14 more pence available for the next item on the list

I DID remember to take Baby Greying's fiver into the bank :j The cashier has seen BG before and commented how they are growing etc

BG wore their new bonnet that came in a set from a charity shop. Their whole outer ensemble amounted to £1.50's worth today They are better dressed than me! :rotfl:

Right, best sort out some lunch

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Now, how come I am on here rather than watching a gaggle of multi-millionaires kick a football about? :think:

Tea this evening was from Jaymee O's book - Saving with Jamie. And I'm very sorry, but I can't find a link to the recipe anywhere on the net I made a vegetarian version of his soup 'My Jewish Penicillin'. Now, as you'll know, this is a chicken soup. I think in the book he advocated using chicken thighs to keep costs down - but in all his other chicken soup recipes it is free-range, organic........ Anyhoo, as I was making my interpretation of the soup, I thought that it reminded me much more of a Scottish broth or a Welsh cawl, than a Jewish chicken soup - which I think is actually quite a particular recipe. I also thought that for an 'economy' soup, it had too many ingredients in it. As it was, I left out the noodles - because there was already potato and pot barley (although I used spelt, as that is what I had) in it. And I also totally forgot to add the brocolli at the end. And the soup was none the worse for it Therefore, I have transferred the recipe to my index, and acknowledge that it was inspired by Jamie's recipe and heavy based on the same ingredients, but my version has become 'Scotched Egg' soup, as it reminds me of Scotch broth with an omlette on top. I didn't 'scatter' my egg omlette ribbons on the soup as instructed to in Jamie's version - it did not alter the taste....... picture here;



Today has been good. I'd like to say that I only spent money on what was on my list, but I noticed the drinks and purchased them for my future FB donation, so I've gone over budget today, but it'll even out.
Baby Greying looked spiffing in their pre-owned clothes (although I'm not precisely sure if any of it was pre-worn......), we managed to track down a plumbing firm that has booked us in for a boiler service :j and we had a thrifty tea that has filled us up for pennies :cool:

Today i am grateful for these 3 things;

the tolerance of staff at h3ron f00ds - they must be sick of me prattling on about FB's..... :rotfl:

for being told that my question, in the camera shop, wasn't silly

for DH trying to be a good all round egg and picking up shopping on the way home - it wasn't what I would have selected, but the willing heart is there Love 'im to bits really

Thank you for popping in, reading and chatting. All good.

Right, I'm away to shout at the telly

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Well, thank goodness that I had switched off the TV - out of boredom, not complacency - long before the final whistle last night. Perhaps lads, you need to concentrate on playing football for 90 mins, or until the final whistle, instead of playing to the press gallery......

Got to make best use of the day. Baby Greying got an early start on the morning, so we've been up [STRIKE]hours[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]ages[/STRIKE] a while

Tea this evening will be Sausage and Puy lentil casserole from the Royal Marsden Cancer cookbook. I don't bother with the crust, use veggie sausages and cook it on the stove-top. I will probably use lentilles verte - I'm sure I've got some (should have checked before typing that - but now can't move for a snoozing BG on my lap! ), as I'm going 'off-piste' and making lentil bolognese (rather than a buddha bowl) tomorrow night, and will use beluga lentils for that.

I shall be trying to source more items for the FB chrimbo list today - best brands for best prices. I'm not accepting poor quality for 'cheapest' price. That is no gift. I've done 'mysupermercado', so I know what I'm looking to achieve/beat, pricewise and for what brands.

Right, best seize the day! Quietly, so's not to awake the snoozing babs..........:rotfl::shhh:

Greying X

try_harder

Sausage and puy lentil casserole ,that sounds lovely ,might try it myself.

EssexHebridean

GREYING!!! You're a genius! :T:T:T In my week of "poor egg calculation leading to mystery suppers" I TOTALLY forgot that we have sausages in the freezer! Doh!! I also have lentils, by a happy coincidence, and pretty much all of the other ingredients for that recipe you just posted, so that might yet be Friday's tea sorted, to keep us away from the takeaway! :T My only concern is that feeding MrEH carrots AND lentils, at least in part without his knowledge, twice in one week might be pushing my luck... :rotfl:

I need to add homeless shelter toiletries to my shopping list for the next few weeks, and set aside any magazines I can ready for them, too. Well reminded. I always try to get a bag of stuff together for the shelter, although actually, it's just occurred to me I may need to get Mum to take them in this year, as I'm pretty sure they don't open until the 23rd. Hmmm.

On the question of Jamie's chicken tendencies, you can get free range thighs relatively easily as well - although I notice last week that the packs of FR thighs & drumsticks which ThaT SupermarkeT used to do are no longer on the shelf... annoying.