From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - ooo - that looks like a nice salad GP, I'm especially liking the fact that everything is chopped into small pieces, rather than the strips of a traditional coleslaw.

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 said:

@Greying_Pilgrim - ooo - that looks like a nice salad GP, I'm especially liking the fact that everything is chopped into small pieces, rather than the strips of a traditional coleslaw.

I thought it was sufficiently 'different' too rt.  I would have loved to have had more of the ingredients to make it 'properly' - especially the gherkins, I love them and they would have added a 'zing' (I suspect capers would have been a good sub too).  

Greying X

EssexHebridean

Horseradish & beetroot are such a good combo! Thanks Greying - that looks like a nice recipe. 

Greying_Pilgrim

EssexHebridean said:

Horseradish & beetroot are such a good combo! Thanks Greying - that looks like a nice recipe. 

Agreed EH - but there is an error in the written recipe, and horseradish wasn't listed in the ingredients for the dressing, but was listed in the subsequent instructions to make the dressing.  I didn't want anyone to plan on making it, and then find they hadn't got the right ingredients, or were missing something.  Whilst I realise I regularly use recipes as a 'basis', I know proper grown ups actually read recipes, and like to follow them somewhat closer than haphazard moi 🤣

Greying X

Watty1

I'm not sure I'd agree with that comment about the recipes (laughing here)  Since "project use up" I've been using recipes as a basis but freely adapting with whatever I have to use up and the results have been way more successful than in the days when I used to follow them closely and so end up with a cupboard full of esoteric ingredients  

(on that note why did I buy beluga lentils??? and what are they anyway??? I'll have to interview google )

Greying_Pilgrim

Watty1 said:

I'm not sure I'd agree with that comment about the recipes (laughing here)  Since "project use up" I've been using recipes as a basis but freely adapting with whatever I have to use up and the results have been way more successful than in the days when I used to follow them closely and so end up with a cupboard full of esoteric ingredients  

(on that note why did I buy beluga lentils??? and what are they anyway??? I'll have to interview google )

Watty - beluga lentils are just a type of lentil. Very similar to puy lentils.  Cook in the same way - very good for salad dishes etc - absolutely useless for dhal! (and given the price of Beluga lentils save 'em for dishes where they are the star - not the supporting act!).  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Clear start with us, and we have a (not unwelcome) breeze.  Luckily we've not blazing sun (yet), but it's already warm.  

Club was outdoors last night.  I accompanied the group as it was just simpler - and parent volunteers are always welcomed on 'field' trips.  The kiddos can be free range enough so that I didn't cramp LG's style 😉 Thankfully there was shade available and another mum chum to natter with, so all it all, we had a nice time 😁  

Children are totally oblivious to the dangers and practicalities of hotter weather it seems - I'm sure I must have been the same when I was little, and I remember getting sooooooooo sunburnt on a school trip when we were out all day in the boiling sunshine - I bet I didn't have sunscreen to apply 😬  LG has been suggesting all sorts of things that we can do - which are fine in the depths of winter or in warm weather, but are pretty much a no-no in a heatwave 🤣 baking cookies, driving 1.5 hrs to then go on a hike (tomorrow), and schlepping to the shops to do a 'food' (?) shop in this afternoon's hot temperatures/start of the rush hour are just some of the suggestions I've had to kindly rebuff 🫤 It did make me look up as to whether biscuits/cookies could be made in the slow cooker, but it would appear that most of the recipes have you making something that resembles a cake, that is cooked 'whole'.  The advantage of biscuits is that they are easier to portion out and/or save for another day.  It did make me laugh that the premise for the 'food' shop this afternoon was actually to purchase ice-creams 🤣 Thankfully we have some already 😉

I can't think of anything MSE to add, so I'll pootle off and try to get something accomplished before the heat really rises.

Greying X

Watty1

Maybe make a version of ice cream?  Frozen bananas do well as a base for that then take back out, just bliz in a blender add flavourings and refreeze?

As part of project use up last week I made some cocoa balls with some very old dates, some water to make it sticky some cacao (use cocoa) and some nuts all blitzed and then rolled into truffle sized balls then chilled (I then froze as I only eat two at a time).   

Something like that might work and doesn't need the cooker on??   Just a couple of random ideas.

rtandon27

ooooooo - frozen energy balls a lovely - a good way to use up all the ends from the baking cupboard! - haven't made them for absolute ages - must have been pre-pandemic as I remember being at the farm!

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks Watty - all ideas always welcome 😁👍

Bright start with us again.  I'm surprised I managed as much sleep as I did, but I'm most certainly not complaining!

Workwear wash is on, although we've chance of rain forecast, but I'll take the risk.  Technically we had rain yesterday - two bouts of big, bloppy summer rain drops.  Not enough to break the heat, and they dried almost as soon as they landed. 

Meter readings were submitted and we were marginally under last month's useage/cost, which is a bit disappointing as clearly we're not using any heating.  But I think our useage is broadly similar, year on year, and whilst I must never say "we're as energy efficient as we can be" (because there is always room for improvement), we are probably in the ball park of minimisation/maximum use that we can 'comfortably' attain.  

DH and LG are going shopping later - I'm not quite sure for what (LG is itching to spend some money I think 🙄), but I will ask them to get some dish washing liquid and we need some more apples - I also still haven't added the hand washing liquid that they got last week to my non-food budget, no-one has supplied me with a receipt yet tho.

Right, off to peg out.  Ta for popping by.

Greying X