Smolly's Stumblings to Sanity - the next Chapter...

Smolly

Thank you Bobarella and Pmo2!!!

In my last diary I mentioned that I came by way of some free chicken breasts - 7.5kg to be precise! I had to cook them all that day as they had defrosted and then refreeze them. The OH in true Meldrew fashion commented that they were not very good. He is after all such a chicken connoisseur.:rotfl: However he has been humbly eating them in stews and curries and whatnot since and not muttered a complaint at all.

Then last week I was gifted more chicken! I didn't like to refuse as I never refuse free food (within reason). I could just put this straight into the freezer and it was all cut up ready and it was yet another enormous bag. Now unfortunately this chicken isn't the same - I thought chicken was chicken but this tastes....of nothing. Even in a curry I was struggling to taste the chicken so I will just use the 'good' chicken and bulk it out a bit with this. I refuse to throw it away.

I then also had a free voucher for more chicken and some wonky apples at T2sc0. I forgot to use them though and they expired. I was really cross with myself as someone at least could have made use of it. However to be honest, chicken was quite possibly the last thing on my mind!:rotfl:

Today's freebie was a dented tin of pear slices. Yum. And Ic3l@nd kindly gave me a voucher for some free nuggets. I must remember to use that one!

I'm hoping that all these free foods will help with my food budgeting this month. The freezer is packed full and I want it emptied in the next 3 weeks so I can start buying Christmas bits.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Monday! It's only 6.22pm and already I'm in my PJ's! Got lots to do before bed though xx

MistyMountainTop

Nice, Smolly! I would keep the tasteless chicken too and use it in spicy dishes. If nothing else, it's protein. I did use my free chicken breasts and tiny apples, but I didn't already have a freezer full of free chicken! How did you get a voucher for nuggets from Ic3l@nd?

I can't get warm today, I'm wrapped up in slippers, my robe and two blankets. The CH is on, but my toes feel like little ice cubes.

Smolly

Hi Misty

I think I was just lucky with Ic3l@nd to be honest. I had done a food shop in there which cost over £20 and it just printed off at the till point with my receipt. I was surprised myself but not going to mock it. The DS will love them.

I was quite cold last night too and was pretty much the same not being able to get warm. Perhaps you're coming down with something? Hope these are the ragged slippers you're wearing Misty?? Don't forget to get them on 3Bay once you're done! :rotfl: Perhaps you ought to invest in one of those mono slipper things that you plug in?:rotfl:

I was really lucky at the weekend - I mentioned to Mum that I'm quite cold at night even with my big winter duvet on and she gifted me one of her quilts that she had sewn! It's beautiful, and the materials alone cost her £70. And what a difference it makes! I am so toasty in bed now. Last night I did struggle at first but found that by stuffing a spare pillow down the bed with me helped!!:D I am such a granny.

xx

Bobarella

Wonder what made the chicken taste of nothing? Curious...

Smolly

I know it's a bit odd Bobarella - I think the next time I'm in the freezer I will pull out the bag and take a better look at the label. It didn't even look like chicken when I was cooking it either but we're all still here and everyone ate up. Like Misty said I will have to spice it up a bit more than our usual Korma curry!

MistyMountainTop

Are you sure the tasteless meat was chicken? I've had something similar happen and it turned out to be pork...

Unfortunately I trashed my old slippers before reading about the market for them. I was given a very good quality pair of sheepskin slippers that will probably last another 10 years, so my hopes of making my fortune from slippers are fading fast... I did look at some very high heeled shoes in a charity shop the other day. They were a bit tatty and I thought they might do ok on e£ay but tbh I didn't want to bring them home. They were what my grandma called "Hooker Heels" :rotfl:

The quilt sounds lovely, is there any chance of a photo? I have been cold in bed at night too, so have been looking for another blanket. There is something so comforting about the weight of a proper quilt or blanket - these fluffed up duvets just don't have the same feel. I used to find very good quality wool blankets in the charity shops all the time, often they were ex-forces and would have name tags sewn in. I'd wash them on a gentle cycle to freshen them up, then put them over the duvet but under the quilt bed cover. My cats chewed up the last one quite badly, so I gave it away to a dog rescue centre. I mistakenly thought I'd be able to find another at a charity shop, but have been looking for over a year and had no luck at all. The people in the shops have told me they very rarely get them in now that everyone uses duvets.

System

Hey Smolly!!! Get you with all the free food!!! I need some of that I spend way too much on food it's one of my big things to sort out as I am a lazy cook so buy chopped veg etc :eek::eek:

Jealous of the duvet!! That sounds bliss xxx

triple_choc_chip

MistyMountainTop wrote: »

Are you sure the tasteless meat was chicken? I've had something similar happen and it turned out to be pork...

I was wondering if it is quorn, that's bland if it's not pimped but can be made to look like chicken.

Smolly

Hooker Heels Misty? How very dare you?:rotfl::eek::rotfl::eek:

That made me laugh as I did buy some 'hooker heels' the other week in a charity shop. Brand new they were with something like 5 or 6" heels. They were snapped up straight away on 3Bay. They were in my size too so I tried them on. I couldn't even move in them! I managed one step and thought better of it. I value my ankles too much!!

I would love to add a photo of the quilt but not sure how. I'm not that technically savvy in sharing photos. I tried once and just ended up with a vague line of numbers and rubbish and no photo to be seen at all. Do you know how to add them on here Misty? I need a simple 'add a photo' button but alas there is none.

I really do need to check the chicken. Next time I go into the kitchen I will have a look.

I have a very old blanket in my car which I have been carrying around in any car I have owned since 1991 when I passed my test! And you know what? I have never needed to use it but you just don't know when that day will come. My Dad bless him gave it to me when I got my first car. It wasn't even a new one. He had been carrying it around in his car for ages too and saw an opportunity to shift it as he had probably also had doubts about its usefulness. I think it had come from his parents' house! It doesn't even look very nice - dull black and red and grey but I just can't bring myself to part with it!:o

No free food today unfortunately loopy but I think I've had my fill! I start my reverse advent on Thursday - I plan everyday throughout December up to 24th to add one item of food to a box and then take it down to the foodbank. I will have to check when they are open for donations around Christmas as I might have to take it down a few days early. Shame they don't accept chicken...

Anyway that's all for now but I may be back later xxx

Take care everyone xx

Smolly

Well it's definitely chicken according to the label - 'Diced Chicken' Frozen free-flow (whatever that means!) and it's come from a reputable butchers that I've heard of before. Strange.

Well there you go. It might be better done in the slow cooker, especially if I add some other different chicken.