Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

Evening Diary Readers,
Well, my meal plan for tonight simply said 'Pasta bake'. I always intended it to include some of the leftover ham hock I cooked in my slow cooker earlier this week, but for everything else, I planned to chuck in anything that needed using, & I'm pleased to say that it did indeed turn into a fine 'use-it-up' opportunity.
So in addition to 100g leftover ham hock, I used:
-A jalapeño chilli which pinged off one of my plants when I moved it yesterday, hitting me in the face.
-Half an onion which was sitting around in the veg baskets in a little pot.
-A nibbled green pepper from my greenhouse. Quite a nice big one, but some hungry horace had chewed a hole in it & I thought I'd use it rather than lose it to potential rot getting in.
*A small wrinkly courgette which had been overlooked in the fridge.
*The last of the lemon basil I grew this year.
*75g leftover mozzarella
*About a cereal bowl of our ripest tomatoes..... all those which looked like they wouldn't last much longer.
How's that for using up? Added a chopped stick of celery (read somewhere it's good for blood pressure..... or it might have been gut bacteria, I can't remember) & a blob of tomato puree. I actually only needed 100g pasta for the two of us, as there was so much veg in it.
Anyway, it was very tasty & like all 'Use-it-up' dishes, it ended up feeling like a free meal.
Still some ham hock left, so have frozen it ready for the pea & ham frittata on next week's meal plans. I think 3 good meals from a £2.50 hock is encouraging. Prices creeping up a little in the butchers in town, but still £2.50 each at our village butchers.
And now I must knit..... I need these socks finished ASAP, so I can get back to the Christmas gift I'm knitting.
Hope everyone's had a reasonably decent day.
Love F x

Blackcats

Foxgloves I have 2 blackcats you can borrow to accessorise your cauldron and your long white and purple hair. They are, however, quite high maintenance but generally respond well to Dreamies (preferably cheese flavour).
Your pasta bake sounds delicious. I had cauliflower cheese which was tasty. Blanched and froze the rest of the cauliflower which. I will use for a veggie curry. As well as money I used to waste lots and lots of food which is terrible. I'm gradually learning and changing.

Kantankrus_Mare

foxgloves wrote: »

Kantankrus - Yes, apt indeed. By the way, that band you mentioned which I'd never heard of? Mentioned to Mr F (big muso) & he had not only heard of them, apparently we have one of their CDs. Shows how much notice I take of his purchases. As long as they're financed via his monthly 'personal spends' (which they always are), I don't take a huge amount of notice of what he's buying!
F

Kudos to Mr F!! :beer: Tell him we went to see said band last year in a small venue in Sheffield. They were so good live that we are going again this November.

foxgloves

He agreed they are good, Kantankrus. We're not a million miles from Sheffield as the crow flies, but it's a bit far to go for gigs, shopping, etc..... though of course we used to visit thr well-known out of town shopping emporium over that way just off the M1 back when we were spendy...... & we used to be horribly spendy whenever we went there!
F

foxgloves

Morning Campers,
You know those nights where you sleep so deeply that you actually feel worse when you get up? That's me today, for some reason. I felt completely welded to the bed this morning, but was lured out by hopeful sounds from the coffee machine.
Am hoping to liven up as I set about today's job list. Cat is waiting for me to move as he's desperate for my chair.

Blackcats - Sounds good. Food waste is expensive & usually unnecessary, not to mention environmentally unsound, so we have a zero food waste policy here. We really only throw away things like a lemon or orange which has gone furry overnight or a tiny cucumber end that's gone to mush. And even then, we compost them. Food planning has cut our food waste to virtually nothing, I'm pleased to say.
OK, I must get myself moving now. Wishing everyone a peaceful & productive day,
F x

foxgloves

Aaaaagggghhh!! Bloody freezer! Poor Mr F.... his busy working day, a mile walk to the car & 45 min commute home (that's if he doesn't run into the usual Friday night gridlock around our town) & what's on the agenda for tonight?
A freezer conference.
Deep deep joy!
Might just go & put him a beer in the fridge.....
F x

HairyHandofDartmoor

Oh dear has your freezer stopped working? I hope Mr F doesn't find the conversation too traumatic :eek:.

As usual I've found your diary updates very soothing. It has much the same effect upon me as Countryfile. Maybe the NHS should prescribe your diary to lower stress? :rotfl:

foxgloves

Hi HHoD, It's working, but the door is about to fall off, as has broken. It's a bit of a saga. I wrote a notice to stick on it this afternoon. It says in big letters, "OPEN WITH EXTREME CARE AND ONLY IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!!!"
So Mr F has just asked me 'Is it alright to open it to get some ice? "
Me: No, because ice isn't essential.
Him: Oh. So it's really really broken then.
Me: It is, yeah. You know that nice walk & picnic we planned for tomorrow?
Him: You're going to say we're going to Curry's instead, aren't you.....
Me: I am, yeah.
Grrrrrr.
Damned thing. And it's full of food too.
Ah well, nobody's hurt, nobody's died. It is what it is.......it's nothing that can't be sorted.
You know what? I think I'm going to eat my jacket potato & stop thinking about freezer logistics for a while. Going to catch up with 'Extra slice' too - love 'Bake-off'.
F x

Elnora32

foxgloves wrote: »

Elnora - I like the look of that 'Redbor' kale, as it looks attractive too. Must have a go next year.

I've not heard of this variety but it does look very attractive and would make a nice addition to the veg garden.

foxgloves

That's what I thought, Elnora - I think I might try growing some next year. It looks as though it would be quite attractive out in the veggie garden with a little bit of a frost on it.
F