Cheery's country living adventure

Karmacat

I've opened a packet of quinoa to experiment with! I think it needs cooking a bit longer, but I like it

Cheery_Daff

I had quinoa the other week when we still had a kitchen :rotfl: I was surprised how long it took to cook - I think I was expecting it to be more like couscous! No more for me until we get a hob again, which might be about 2025 at this rate :eek: :rotfl:

Mmmm, porridge :j :j Had the last of the slow cooker stew for tea tonight and it was MUCH better for being left for a day :j

Got sandwich stuff to take to work tomorrow, and porridge already there for breakfast, but what to do for tea? Suppose I could wash out the slow cooker and try the lasagne... I suppose if I prep it tonight I can just turn it on low tomorrow morning before I leave...

Have to say the thought of doing ANYTHING else tonight isn't filing me with joy

EssexHebridean

Dying to know whether you did prep the slowcooker lasagne last night Cheery! It certainly sounds like an idea that ought to work although the issue that stands out to me would be how to thicken the sauce a bit, OR to judge the amount exactly right so that all the water or stock absorbed into the lasagne sheets and lentils etc. Hmmm!

The only time I've really cooked quinoa at home is from the bargain priced reduced packets of rice/quinoa mix I got a while back so mine just cooked in the microwave in the rice cooker in the usual time. I do love couscous for pure quickness though! (The cooking time thing is the reason why I never buy bulgar wheat these days really - as much as I like it invariably it hangs around for ages because couscous is quicker!)

Cheery_Daff

I confess I didn't do the lasagne - Mr Cheery went out to the supermarket and came back with a pizza so I'll be having that for tea tonight :j Well, half of it - we've got a tiny countertop oven that just fits half a pizza :rotfl: :rotfl:

In fact he came home with a right bunch of treats :j :j

- spinach and ricotta pizza (99p)
- value tin of rice pudding (yum!)
- red grapes (these were actually rather tasteless sadly)
- a packet of white chocolate buttons (my favourite - and he swiped the packet after I'd eaten half and hid it so I've got the other half for tonight)
- knock off Baileys

Doesn't take much to make me happy :rotfl:

Brought lunch to work today, and a load of fruit too :j I do need to nip out though (in the VILE rain) to get nephew a birthday present, so obviously I'll have to pay for that (!) whatever it is, and I'll have to stop off at the post office on the way home too.

Need to ring up about new car as well!

EssexHebridean

Ooh fingers crossed on the car!

themadvix

What a gem, hiding the white chocolate buttons for you! That sounds like an excellent shopping trip!

Hope car conversation goes well!

Cheery_Daff

Sadly the car was sold last weekend and they just didn't bother taking the advert down :mad: so back on the lookout again, yawn.

Anyway, some exciting MSE news. Just spotted that there's a double up nectar points event next week. These have always passed me by - we've never done our shopping in sainsburys so never really accrued points.

Except now we sometimes end up at a petrol station that does nectar points, and it's linked to the Ebay account...

... and it turns out we have £31.28 in points! :money: which presumably means we can double up to £62.56 :money: :eek: :money:

Of course you have to spend them in a shop, and not on food :rotfl: But there's a giant sainsburys I can go to one day next week, and it'll do nicely for Christmas presents - seasonal goods, homeware, posh sparkling wine, toys, clothes etc :j :j

So that's nicely exciting :j

Also discovered we've got £15 worth of points on the co op card too, and I think I've got over £20 on the Boots card :eek: all adds up when you never spend it!!

Actually I've bought TWO Christmas presents this week :j One a lovely book for £5, and the other a box of green & blacks chocolates that for some baffling reason they were selling half price in Tesco this afternoon :money:

So might actually be able to do Christmas on a relative budget this year :j Not that I'm usually extravagant... but saving a hundred or even two would be extremely helpful right now!

lykkelig

I'm dropping in to say that I read the first and last 7 pages last eve and thoight to let you know that you have another one cheering you on. Your humour and determination mirrors mine and, well, Country living? Sold!

Thanks for mentioning the Nectar points. We have them and I will be off gift shopping next week so hoping to get a little more.

Karmacat

I spend my nectar points on food as soon as I can :rotfl: but even I have a fiver on there. I'll have a plotting session about what to buy, thanks Cheery

themadvix

I have £17.90, although I'm guessing foodie treats/alcohol don't count on the double up? Thanks for making me check though Cheery - I hadn't really paid them any attention!