The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

beanielou

Have a good week Grayling & friends

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

I agree about 'doing your own thing' when it comes to cooking. I do think that sometimes, people 'writing' recipes don't actually know anything about cooking and sometimes are cribbing recipes from elsewhere, but in an attempt to differentiate it 'as their own', just add in a pile more ingredients. Anyway, the soup was made, with the ingredients that I had - and I shan't bother again. I think celeriac over-rated and as I paid through the nose for it (even YS'd) from M&$, then I definitely won't bother again. I did add in butter beans to my soup to up the protein content. There was enough for tea and a portion left for my lunch. It was perfectly edible, but not the best thing I have ever shoved in my gob, and as there were expensive ingredients in it (celeriac and parsnips), I shan't bother to transfer it to my recipe index.

We've a few bits and pieces to pick up today. So money will be spent.

I've decided, on the back of a successful 'dry january' to eschew alcohol for lent. I've never really given up anything for lent before, so it'll be a bit of a first for me. But I enjoyed saving the money in January - not that we spend a huge amount on booze - and can see other things that could be bought with the saved money, if I was successful for lent. I don't expect DH to join me - but he's only likely to have a beer when watching an england rugger match, so it's no biggie. I've had a bit of alcohol, since February started, and I haven't been particularly bothered about it, and it's not important in my life, so let's save some cash! :money:

Pancakes tonight! And a salad bowl for tea, to keep things light.

Right, mustache. DH has got to go off early this morn, so it's all hands to the decks to look after BG

Ta for popping in. Appreciated.

Greying X

WannabeFree

Hands up I forgot the kids will want pancakes for dinner ...
Fajita pancakes anyone? :rotfl:

Have a lovely day

x

System

Hello GP! I'm not meaning to piggy back your diary but I thought I'd share a pancake recipe to you and your lovely readers which I have simplified to be more budget friendly than some healthy eating blogger (who was using all kinds of fancy gluten free flours etc. that are ludicrously expensive!) No measurements as it's a simple recipe you can add to/save leftovers if you make too much batter.

Plain vegan crepes:
Sieved Plain Flour
Unsweetened Soy Milk (the cheapest plant milk in my experience
Sprinkle of Baking Powder
Splash of cooking oil of your choice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oregano
Mix all ingredients together until they coat the back of a spoon, cook as you would any other crepe!

Vegan Bechamel Sauce with Spinach:
Non-Dairy butter of your choosing
Plain Flour
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Nutritional Yeast
Veggie Bouillon/Stock Cube
Frozen/Fresh Spinach
Salt & Pepper to taste (I do half regular salt, half celery salt)

Make a roux with the butter and plain flour, add the milk slowly whisking as you go, add in nutritional yeast to taste, sprinkle in some bouillon powder or a veggie stock cube, add the spinach last stirring well. Layer the crepes and sauce in a baking tin and place in to the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 180C (you can just have them as they are but I like to bake mine so they make a crepe lasagne!) I make the bechamel for pasta and vegan lasagne all the time and my other half adores it and often asks for it! I add some dairy cheese to mine but have opted not to in the past and no complaints!

Weighing in to the kettle debate, I used an old morphy richards kettle throughout uni that was in fact 14 years old, it finally gave up the ghost at the end of university. I bought another morphy richards kettle which I have now had for 7 years and has a lovely pouring spout, I got it on sale for £34 and I think I'm forever a loyal morphy customer for my water of the boiled variety!

I hope you have a lovely evening! xx

beanielou

Enjoy your pancakes

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Aw thanks sauceoclock - that looks some mighty fine eating

beanielou wrote: »

Enjoy your pancakes

Thanks love, we did - be-ro pouring batter and lemon with a sprinkle of sugar BG turned their nose up - but I thought they would, they don't seem to like the texture of pancakes

'Mains' was a salad bowl, that ended up being a bit more robust than I intended We had marinated lentils, steamed quinoa, morrocan beetroot & carrot pickle, savoy cabbage slaw with asian dressing and falafel! The united nations on a plate :rotfl: I think the dressing on the cabbage was a flavour step too far, and in hind-sight, should have just left the cabbage naked, but there you go

We pootled around today and went to the library in the community hub. It's really nice in there and they often have some pretty spiffy book choices There is plenty of space and it is severely underused, so there was room for BG to move the furniture about, wave at random service-users and pick a million children's books off the shelves........ :rotfl: Hurrah for public libraries :T

We picked up a few bits and pieces from mrAl and mrT, but forgot to get the TV guide and a (winning) euro mi££ions ticket. Ah well.

Today i am grateful for these 3 things;

public libraries

a change of scene

some new (library) books - no guessing what subject....... :rotfl:

Ta for popping in and discussing pancakes. Appreciated.

Greying X

beanielou

Public libraries are just the thing.
LOve the library

redofromstart

Libraries are wonderful places, I spent most of my early teens poking around in ours.

rtandon27

Most of my favorite people are librarians!

Lilith1980

I've just been reading through some of your diary...would love to read a lot more but just don't have the time. I love the fact you include gratitude in your posts. It's something I could do with practicing more.

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