The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Upsidedown_Bear

Have a lovely day all at Greying Towers and Pilgrimers

greenbee

Good luck with organising the quotes GP. I'm nearly done with arranging my boiler repair - I have the quote, just need to commit and get a date in the diary. Then it's on to nagging the builder to come back and finish off so I'm all tucked up for winter!

EssexHebridean

I went looking for the S6 'shrooms but refused to buy on the basis that they were Dutch. in fact I got quite cross that they were Dutch, but the packaging was proudly sporting a claim that Ald1 "support Team GB" - shame they don't support "Farm GB" as well! :mad: I tweeted a grumble about it and then went to ThaT oTher supermarkeT instead. Where they were a week but pricier but very British.

Hurrah for Connor and his collecting - I was hoping you'd caught it this morning, I think I must have been in the bathroom when it was on!

maddiemay

I hope that you and BG are having a good day, become very murky here this afternoon.

After moaning to OH whilst in T£sco on Sat evening that they have so little choice in frozen vegetables, I had occasion to call in on my way back from the osteopath today and having picked up the couple of things that I wanted I walked up the frozen food aisle towards a checkout and low and behold frozen sliced mushrooms (dratted A*di fresh ones were not a good buy, several needed adding to the compost bin) AND frozen Avocados -two bags squeezed into the freezer and now lots of scramblers and avo's for breakfast and guacamole starters:D:D:D

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

joeyjimbles - I had another look in h0me bargins today - the 'cheaper' glass casseroles (£2.49/2.99) were 'arc cuisine' brand - not pyrex as I stated. They have made their insert look like pyrex. I am pretty sure I used to have some ac brand stuff. Got rid when I was decluttering and downsizing I think - keeping the stuff that was absolutely right for the job most of the time, rather than a dish for every dish under the sun

Upsidedown Bear - thank you

greenbee - I failed to make those calls! I did an admin call this morning, as it was important. Think I will endeavour to make the telephone calls tomorrow morning, rather than leaving it until the afternoon, when time is apt to run away with itself.

EH - yes, I did catch Connor - had to use listen again to get his friends names right though!

maddiemay - I hope you find the avocados useful - I'm stomping my foot now, a la Veruca Salt, because I haven't got any! :rotfl: I shall venture into the dratted mrT on the weekend and go a-hunting. I'm also going to look out for more 'cooked' avocado recipes, up the versatility of the bag to the Greying Household

Well, today has been good. I got all the 'life admin' chores done - one more to attend to tomorrow (putting money into the CU). Didn't make the phone calls for quotes, but that will be a priority tomorrow. I have invested in more LED lightbulbs. Unfortunately, it has highlighted the fact that the light fitting in the kitchen will need replacing. And as 'most' spotlight fittings now seem to run on GU10's rather than R63's, I'm in danger of having a surplus of lightbulbs..... The bathroom can be the recipient of the bulbs I bought today (when we change the light fitting), but I'm a bulb over. Do you think I can take it back? I haven't opened the packet.

Baby Greying and I were in receipt of hugs, good wishes and kindness today. Including a great kindness from two complete strangers in a coffee shop, who both simultaneoulsy alerted my attention to the fact that BG's fleecy bonnet had manouvered itself orf BG's head in a whisp, and deposited itself on the pavement - and I was wandering on in blissful ignorance! How utterly kind

Dh asked me what the 'best bit' of today was at tea. I came up with a list :rotfl:

So, speaking of tea. We had Winter Lentil Soup, from Adele McConnell's book; The vegan cookbook. I realise it is a straightforward soup, but whilst sometimes I'm happy to put dishes together without a recipe, using what I have, or what I think will work. Sometimes I like to follow recipes, to see if they work, or whether they have room for improvisation or just, because. This recipe works. And it is a keeper for me. Whilst the title is appropriate - it is a hearty soup, just right for winter, I also think that it has a place on the autumn table But might I make this again in cash-strapped, aaagggeeees until pay day January...... You betcha

I did use tinned, chopped tomatoes rather than fresh, and I used brown lentils, as that is what I had. I was grateful for the prompt in the recipe to use a bay leaf - not sure I would have automaticaly thought about it if I was making it from scratch myself. I also improvised a wee bit and put in some dried mushrooms. They caught my eye as i was getting something out of the cupboard. I bought a couple of packets before I found out I was pregnant, and didn't use them whilst pregnant. They'll keep, of course, but I thought that this soup could use them. I wasn't disappointed. I would point out that the recipe serves 6, so the quantities are quite hefty. I used 200g of lentils, and that was more than enough for big tea portions, with a portion left for lunch tomorrow. I made onion seed flat bread to accompany, and served with a drop of yoghurt, a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and a sprinkle of sumac. I didn' have any parsley, so omitted it. Picture;



I've already transferred the recipe from my notebook to my recipe index. A good hearty, tasty, but ultimately inexpensive meal that fills you up :money::D

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

Kindness - I'm really touched by people's kindness towards us today. Most especially that received from strangers, I think.

progress - even if in actuality I'm making it at a snail's pace, whilst in my head I'd have built Rome b'naw....................... :rotfl:

Light - we too had murky weather this afternoon - brightened by the flick of a switch and LED technology :T:D

Ta for popping in, reading, telling me about your food shopping adventures and for being all-round good eggs Much appreciated.

Greying X

greenbee

I've got more phonecalls to make tomorrow morning, so I'll be joining your in your endeavours

I recently had to replace my kitchen light as the ancient one I inherited had three really weird bulbs and I was down the the last one. Having done it (£35 from Ikea for a bar with 5 spotlights on it, plus bulbs) I really wish I'd done it sooner. I can now see to cook... (mind you, I can also see the dirt!

I need to go and do some furniture moving... my brother delivered a chest of drawers today, as he'd been visiting my parents. I'll now be able to put clothes away in my bedroom instead of the spare room. Which means I might a. put them away and b. stop wearing the same half-dozen items. Of course, I now need to buy a wardrobe, and can't use the excuse that I don't know how much space I've got for it...

rtandon27

Today's Food Adventure...

OH brought home two 'free' pumpkins today! - said I could make pie out of them to remind me of home!

He's so proud of himself for sourcing free food he was strutting like a peacock!

Not sure at what point I tell him that carving pumpkins are not for cooking or eating! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim

greenbee wrote: »

Having done it (£35 from Ikea for a bar with 5 spotlights on it, plus bulbs) I really wish I'd done it sooner. I can now see to cook... (mind you, I can also see the dirt!

I concur - there are only 2 of the 3 lights working in the kitchen now (I thought it was just the bulb had gone, but it is clearly an issue with the holder), and yet it is 100 times brighter in the kitchen now. As the light is instantaneous, the old bulbs took 3 days to get up to working temperature...........

rtandon27 wrote: »

Today's Food Adventure...

OH brought home two 'free' pumpkins today! - said I could make pie out of them to remind me of home!

He's so proud of himself for sourcing free food he was strutting like a peacock!

Not sure at what point I tell him that carving pumpkins are not for cooking or eating! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Aw. So much...... good sentiment in there...........so much.... good intention............

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Well, we were up early Some of us bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, others less so........... Some of us are still releasing our inner *boing*....

So I've come under Pippi's influence, and have a list the sooner I get started, the sooner I can begin to cross things orf!

Tea this evening is '---- with rice' so I'm plumping for Adele McConnell's Smoky Slow-cooked Gumbo. I shan't be cooking it in the slow cooker, because I don't have one, but I thought I would point it out, as i know many MSE'rs do use one It happens to be vegan (as are all Adele's recipes from that book), if anyone is interested.

Phone calls are a must today.

Hopefully the weather will be nice, as it was cold overnight, so let's have some bright sunshine please

I've got to make our money deposit into the CU today - mustn't forget.

And speaking of deposits...... I'm needed elsewhere, by the sounds of it...........

Have a great day.

Greying X

EssexHebridean

Ooh now that Gumbo DOES sound good. MrEH would, of course, have it that it would be improved with bacon, but then he says that about everything... :rotfl: (He'd also say "celery - URGH!) :rotfl:

Lists are good. we like a decent "to do" list. And a good "Ta Da!" list at the end of the day is even better! :T

Hope your deposits of all types get sorted out painlessly!