From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

rtandon27

MrRT is rather pleased that he has contributed to less food wastage in the Greying household!

As for 'newly-minted' - I think it's closer to having dug up ancient treasure atm! 😉😘

beanielou

Pudsey always makes me think of Terry Wogan 😢

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

I just read back a previous post, and realised that I made it sound like LG and I had popped (in person) to see Sara Cox at the finish line in Pudsey.  Clearly we had not - I missed out the vital bit that we watched coverage online - in a dry and comfy 'front 'oom'....... 

We did watch the TV broadcast last night - I don't want to be bahumbuggy, but I do prefer the time limited, mostly scripted, focussed programme.  Anyhoo, lots of money raised for charity - and lets face it, all charities are in need of a boost aren't they.  

I'm going to make soup for lunch today - the weather is still dreich, but I think, having seen some news coverage, we got off relatively lightly in terms of rain compared to some places within the UK.  DH did mention a flooded... roundabout? or approach to a roundabout? on the way back from work last night, but he'd managed to divert and got home safely and at his usual time.  Anyway, I'm going to look up to see if there are any particularly spiffy carrot soup recipes, as I shall use the organic carrots I got in the MrL box.  Failing any new recipe materialising, I shall use the carrot, lentil and fennel seed recipe I have from Sabrina Ghayour (iirc).  

LG has asked if they can make biscuits today.  I don't mind in principle, but DH has said he wants to do tidying and moving stuff around.  The windows are depressing at the moment - drenched in condensation ☹️  I do hope that the new windows and trickle vents diminish that problem, as yesterday I had windows open, wiped away condensation, and had the dehu on - and still we've woked up not being about to see out ☹️

Right, I need to go in search of another cup of coffee - funnily enough I shall not be doing any washing today - no chance of anything drying today.

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

I'm going to have a bash at this Turkish style carrot and lentil soup, from the good folks over at R1verf0rd, as there were bell peppers in the box too, and I have lemons.  

I must remember to get some baps out - wholemeal YS'd most likely.  

Greying X

beanielou

I do hope that you make biscuits. 🤗

greenbee

With new windows you may wake up not being able to see out - because of condensation on the outside!

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha - yes, I recall that happening at the house we used to own, when we changed from the single glazed windows to double glazed 🤣

I've just been having a look at the property pages - interesting that a couple of houses locally that are for sale, aren't terribly highly priced (everything is relative I know), by which I mean we're going to have to be careful with what we spend on renovations - we'll end up spending more than we would get back if we sold.  And no, not every property transaction should be about "profit", but neither do we want to be majorly out of pocket.  I'm all for comfortable living, but need to ensure we're striking a balance.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So, the verdict on the soup - from the troops - is "delish, yum, love it".  It didn't really hit the spot for me.  I hadn't put a stock cube in at the start - just used water.  After I had whizzed the soup, I added the lemon juice (and zest), then added in half a stock cube - as it still lacked 'something'.  As I had no fresh mint, I used dried, with a splodge of wine vinegar to make it zing, along with salt and pepper.  Having done that, it was better than it had been.  I liked it, I didn't love it.  There were bell peppers in the MrL box (not organic as far as I know), I used one red and one yellow (recipe specified 2 red).  I tasted the carrots raw, and they were lovely.  So sweet.  Degree in hindsight, perhaps a carrot salad would have been a better idea - however, there are 3 carrots left, so......   I hadn't got any flaked almonds, so instead I made a topping of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, which I added whole almonds (chopped up) to, towards the end of toasting.  That was nice.

Served with wholemeal baps, and there was a small splodge of soup for seconds for LG and DH.  Clean plates all round.

Dreich weather with us - actually quite cold ☹️.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

So tea was 'vegetable dirty rice' with one block of the YS'd basil tofu (diced up and fried a little until crisp), incorporated.  I used 2 more of the bell peppers from the MrL box, a red onion (MrL PoTW), celery, garlic and a handful or two of some mixed frozen vegetables.  All mixed together with some HM tommie sauce and some steamed basmati.  Pud will probably be yoghurt and banana.

LG made some biscuits.  They were Chocolate biscuits from the bero cookbook.  They made half the recipe quantity and 13 biscuits were made.  They tasted nice apparently, DH and LG tried them - i've not tried one yet (I was offered one, but just didn't feel hungry).  At least the 'maker' itch was scratched 😁

I can't think of anything else MSE to add. 

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

I've pegged the washing out.  A workwear wash and general school/LG wear.  I will be lucky if anything comes in dry, it's grey, overcast, and I'm not sure the breeze is sufficient to do the heavy lifting.  🤞 eh?

I happened upon a frugal blog last night (frugalgrannyuk), and the episode was looking at 'simple Christmases'.  I was thinking about how we're tailoring our Christmases to be 'how we like', and I don't think - now that LG is here - we're overly wedded to doing anything 'because it's Christmas'.  We certainly don't eat things 'because it's tradition' (there was quite a discussion around this point - why buy/cook a turkey if no-one likes it?), but I was pondering to myself how Fam. Greying have arrived at where we are.  Some of it is more a product of being veggie - we don't 'need' to purchase a turkey.  Some of it is down to 'no-likey' - DH and LG will tolerate some brussels sprout appearance on the plate over the winter months, but I suspect if I presented mini marbles, boiled into submission and greyness, those vegetables wouldn't be allowed over the threshold in future years! 😁 But there are some things that we don't have because they cost too much in time/money to buy or prepare.  I'm thinking of (traditional) Christmas cake and (traditional) Christmas pudding.  I can't remember if LG has tried Christmas pudding - I think I may have bought one, a few years ago, and they ate it, but were indifferent about it iirc.  We have had fruit cake at Christmas, but not iced.  Having good examples of these two things, is possibly the key to making them 'tradition' for households.  Some commercial cakes and puddings can be on the acidic side.  

Anyway, I happened to come across a recipe for a Chocolate Orange Christmas pudding.  Although it is a gluten free recipe (and the write up quite clearly states it can be adapted back to use wheat flour), it's piqued my interest, and i think I may have a bash at making a version of one.  Looking at the ingredients - it's hardly likely to be 'nasty' 😂 although I use butter as the fat rather than suet (from a beebeecee GF recipe I think), but even if it doesn't scratch the 'Christmas pudding' itch, it'll be worth a go at making.  Maybe it'll become a new tradition - maybe not.  I shall certainly be looking to cook it in the SC, I think - and mixed peel will NOT be making an appearance in our pud - jus' saying'.........  

Thinking about turkey's - apropos of nowt - we saw a field full of turkeys when we were on holiday, I suspect Kelly Bronzes?  as they had black feathers.  We also saw some water buffalo too!  All this on a UK-based hols 😁👍 Poor auld LG - can't have a kip, or read a book - their nutsy ma is pointing hither and yon "look at that!", "look at this!" 🤣

I'm sure it will be soup again for lunch. I'm not sure what to do for tea - I've the enviable position of having choice - which I'm not complaining about - but I've yet to determine which way to go.  

Right, best shift a tail feather and accomplish something.  

Greying X