From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

kayannie

Greying_Pilgrim said:

Thanks Fortune - I'm pretty sure that the bottom seal on the 'foldable' screen is waaaaaaayy past it's use by date and it's gone brittle and that is the primary cause - I'm just at a loss as to why it has got so much worse so quickly 🙁  But I've looked online and although I need to double check I'm ordering the right thing, I have found a replacement seal - for not too much money, and if it's right, will go ahead and order it.  I suppose that it was too puny an order for the local plumbers merchants to consider - but I wish they would have just said, 'sorry we only deal with trade' or 'minimum order value £100' or whatever.

So I made Potato Soup for lunch.  I have never made potato soup, in all of my years of concocting things to munch and for all the time I've been living within my means.  I had intended to give a crock pot version a go, and had purchased a can of evaporated milk to try out.  But I thought I would go for a stove-top version today.  I used Ree Drummond's (P10neer W0man) recipe for inspiration and the majority of ingredients.  But obviously I left out the bacon, and didn't use flour/a roux.  I just fried off the veggies, added water and the potatoes and some seasoning.  Cooked until the potatoes were fork tender then partially blitzed with a stick blender.  Added thinly shredded cheese, a couple of dessert spoons of greek youghurt and stirred.  I added dried parsley at the end.  The only thing that I did 'wrong' was to be too lax in adding the seasoning powder - I had forgotten how salty it is (from the eastern european foods selection in MrL), and the resulting soup was on the salty side.  But otherwise.... what a revelation.  Who knew something so simple could taste so good.  Both DH and LG declared it delish and would have it again (with less added salt).  Result.  I will try a crockpot version on another day.

Greying X

This was the first soup I ever made in my 'domestic science' class in the late 1950's. I think it's time I made it again as I remember how tasty it was. KA

Greying_Pilgrim

kayannie - I feel right daft.  Clearly tattie soup is a recipe that has been around for yonks - and that usually indicates sommat that is tasty, doesn't it?  But I had assumed that potato soup (I'm thinking specifically totally blended) would be akin to wallpaper paste to eat, but this partially blended with chunks of tattie and veg was a revelation!  I will definitely try out the crockpot/slowcooker version soon 😁

So cinema going done.  We got some sweeties from HB on our way there - and bumped into the teacher LG had in Reception class - so we had a quick natter to them (although I'm always acutely aware weekends are a teacher's 'down time') then when we got to the cinema and met with our chums, it was obvious that there was a party there - all of whom LG knew from nursery days 😁They all go to a different school, but still all know each other 😁The film was good - animation is just amazing isn't it.  It was like you were flying through the air with the ducks......  Cost of sweeties has come out of the grocery budget.  Cost of the tickets out of the social budget - the cinema chain does a deal for 1 adult + 1 child, so it was a relatively low cost activity.

Right, best heat up tea.  

Greying X

redofromstart

My 'go to' for basics cook book of Sophie Gr1gson '1st time cook' has a potato, garlic, parsley soup in, but I have always skipped over it, probably because I tolerate garlic rather than willingly eat it. I always use her proportions for carrot soup etc.

like the whole 'only seven basic story plots' theory, I do think a lot of recipes are splendid variations on a theme and I rarely cook to a recipe because, like you, I adapt to what we have.

I don't think I've ever frugalised for fad reasons, I was brought up in a shoestring and frankly it hurts to waste money. I like us to eat well for what we spend. And do you know, you inspired me a lot pre LG when you spent carefully and donated to food banks long before it was a thing, and you saved money out of your budget for that, and I remember you fretting about the best value tinned meat even though you don't eat it yourself, and I admired that. My own donations have directly stem back to your posts (and those of  @beanielou) and are better thought out as result, and to those of people like Weezl who didn't need to be spending time working out nutritious meals for pennies but chose to do so to help others without judgement.  

FrugalHedonist

I have also been in soup mode and I made this
 https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/curried-swede-soup-mango-chutney-cheese-toasties
Very tasty
The HM veg balls were not such a success will stick to A1d1 ones from now on 🤣

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

redo - ironically enough it was Sophie's mum - Jane Grigson - who put me off bothering to make tattie soup.  She had a recipe for it in her 'Vegetable' cookbook, but iirc it was a puree soup and I just couldn't see how it could be anything other that wallpaper paste.  To be fair, I suspect the recipe was probably made with chicken or ham stock which could - of course - have imparted extra flavour.  I no longer have her cookbook - it was one of those reprints of 'classics' and of course, had no pictures.  I bought it towards the start of my learning to cook and ditched it as I began to gain confidence and started to use recipes as idea 'starting points' and inspiration to work with what i had, or where I wanted to get to.

Thank you for your kind words redo - I had a similar upbringing.  We lived in tied agricultural accommodation on agricultural wages.  Dad grew alot of our veg - but all the tradition stuff and mum was a plain, simple cook.  In part she was frightened to try new things as if it didn't work that might waste food, and there wasn't the capacity in the budget to permit for mistakes 🙁

FrugalHedonist - I have made lentil balls several times (not for yeaaaarrrrs tho).  They are a faff, and I use bought ones now.  I was thinking I need to get back to making veggie sausages though, as they seem to have gone very expensive.  

Well, it's dry here today, but I don't think washing will dry as there is zero breeze and currently it is very cold.  A nuisance, as naturally I have a pile of washing to do.

Lunch will be soup - something along a minestrone vibe, as I have a tin of essentials spaghetti hoops, which LG won't eat as is, but will eat when used as pasta in soup 🙄  Today should be a nsd.

Ta for popping in.  Greatly appreciated.

Greying X

kayannie

Another one here who was brought up in tied accomodation - my dad worked on the farm & my mum did seasonal work, fruit & hop picking.  The garden was big enough to grow fruit & vegetables & a few flowers. We kept chickens & even had a pig in the sty at the end of the garden. I HATED it when the time came for the pig to be turned into our food. No wonder I eventually stopped eating meat! KA

Greying_Pilgrim

KA  - we only had pigs for the one year.  Dad rented a scrap of land down the road as an 'allotment' and it had the remains of a pig hut, so he did it up and we had a couple of little piglets.  We had chickens for quite a few years, but pigs only once.  I don't know why - I suspect it coincided with the changing rules about where animals could be slaughtered etc

Well, inspired by talk of meatless balls, veggie sausages etc I have used my time this morning making some bean sausages 😁I made them up as I went along, but the bean base is black-eyed bean.  There's onion, celery, garlic, a few chopped nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, oats, and herbs/spice in.  I didn't follow a recipe, just made it up as I went along.  Cooked the veg, blitzed the nuts and seeds and then combined it in my ancient food processor.  I then used my HM sausage maker to shape 9 'bean bangers'.  I've shoved them in the freezer and will cook them for tea later.  We shall have a 'kinda' Sunday roast - it will give me the chance to make Yorkies - ideally getting LG involved.  



Right, best shove orf and get the soup on.  Although there is not much breeze, I took a punt and washed DH's work clothes.  They are mostly heavier weight fabrics, so I am not expecting them to get bone dry, but the sunlight is glorious, and I keep moving the clothes around the washing line, so that they can get maximum sunshine on them.  Fingers crossed it works.

Greying X

FrugalHedonist

Oh they look amazing, can I ask what herbs you used - I might give it a go. I think mushrooms as a base for veg balls  were a bit ambitious for my household 

kayannie

Your sausages look lovely - don't forget to let us know how they taste. KA

Greying_Pilgrim

FrugalHedonist - I used dried herbs and spices in the mix - from memory it was just parsley and thyme as 'green' herbs.  Paprika, nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice and black pepper as the spices.  For the second time in as many days, I regret I haven't got any mace to hand.   Please don't ask for quantities as I am afraid I am a 'sprinkle, splodge, pinch, bit-a, shake shake, speck' kinda cook - which I know isn't helpful, either for explaining recipes, OR making exactly the same thing, over and over again for consistent results.

I also missed off that I used grated carrot in the mix, briefly cooking it up with the onion, celery and garlic.

Greying X