Bubble and Squeak - for the freezer?

 Way way back in 2020 I wrote about Bubble and Squeak and all the variations I have tried over the years.  It was (and still is) something that we make to stretch the pennies when we need to. Some things never change....however some things do in that now I cook it differently.

For those that don't know Bubble and Squeak is mashed potato and cooked cabbage at it's simplest and is cooked in a frying pan or skillet.  For a large family that means multiple batches and standing at the stove for a while.  I had enough of that (and also wanted to stock my freezer with bulk meals) so here is what I do these days.

Mashed potato (made with butter), browned fried onion, steamed cabbage - mix together and pack into a metal (and yes it should be metal or enamel) roasting tin, top with grated cheese if desired and bake in a hot oven for about half an hour.  Cut into squares to serve.

No more wasting time standing at the stove, bonus is that you can wrap portions and freeze for a couple of months.  Defrost overnight in the fridge and then microwave until hot in the centre.

Making your own freezer meals is just for big families. Right?/ Paprika Chicken Thighs Recipe

 Wrong!

It is a constant that cookery books and cooking shows by-and-large assume that you are a part of a family, usually family of 4. YouTube is full of creators producing freezers full of large trays of food for large families. However there is nothing to stop you dividing the same recipes into smaller portions and giving future you the gift of the time you save by reheating rather than cooking from scratch.

Another thing that is true is that it saves money because of supermarkets where family packs are less per 100g than smaller packs.  It doesn't matter if you divide bigger packs and freeze things like meat raw or if you cook two or three times the amount you need and freeze the surplus the pennies add up even when you include the cost of running a freezer.  Although you do need the money for the bigger packs up front to save money further down the line.

So, if you don't know where to start go to the freezer section of your supermarket for inspiration- anything that you can find there can be the starting point for your own variation.

Meanwhile I am making a batch of paprika chicken thighs on the stove ready to serve with potatoes and veggies or salad or rice another day.

Paprika Chicken Thighs (serves 4)

8 chicken thighs, skin on

oil

1 onion,chopped

2 tsp smoked paprika

3 rashers streaky bacon, smoked if possible, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp dried thyme

100 ml chicken stock

100 ml creme fraiche or soured cream (full fat, low fat or no fat do not freeze well)

Start with a pan which will take all the thighs in one layer and with a lid.  Add a little oil to the pan and cook the chicken thighs skin side down for about 10 minutes, you want the skin to be nice and Brown.  Remove from the pan.

 Fry the onion until soft. Add the bacon and fry until it loses it's pink colour.  Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds being careful not to let it brown.  

Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomato puree, thyme and the stock.  Stir well and pop on the lid.  Cook for about 10-15, giving it the occasional stir - you want everything to be covered with the sauce.

Check that the chicken is cooked (cut into one of the thighs and see if near the bone is pink).

Add the creme fraiche and stir well so it is incorporated into the sauce.  Leave the lid off and leave to bubble for 5 minutes to reduce slightly.

Serve with rice, pasta or potatoes.

To Freeze.

Allow to cool and then freeze in portions as desired (2 thighs per person),

To serve, allow to thaw and reheat in the oven or the microwave until hot through.

Are you missing this envelope? :Cost of Living Crisis and Cash Envelope Stuffing.

 Envelope stuffing has gone viral. You Tubers make millions of views from videos from watching someone count out dollars onto cash trays and put it in plastic wallets labelled with Cricut vinyl words like "taxes" and "vacation" before storing it in one of several fancy ring binders specially for the purpose.  There is a whole new vocabulary with terms like "sinking funds".  All these things are a bright shiny and new way of managing your finances right?  You need to rush to Ebay or Etsy to buy your cash tray or binder or wallets because otherwise it won't work-right? Wrong.

Sorry to burst the bubble but these are just sexed up versions of how your great grand parents budgeted before credit cards.  Sounds SO much more boring doesn't it!  

What each (successful) envelope stuffer has identified is the budget categories that apply to them and worked out out much they can afford to put in each category.  This includes those things for everyday like  "groceries" "rent"; but also categories to replace things like your washing machine when it breaks, these last are your sinking funds. But never, ever, in all the videos I have watched for research purposes have I seen a category that I use all the time. It saves me hundreds of pounds a year, protects other budget  categories, and after a while is self-funding.

Let me give you a scenario...

You're doing your shopping in the supermarket, list in hand, budget in mind, all under control (well some of the time). As you round the end of the aisle the clever supermarket people have placed a display of  the latest item on offer.  It is something you normally buy  and at a great discount! But if you buy it it will totally blow your budget - what do you do?

a) Leave it be and live with the loss

b) Break into your emergency fund- even though this is not what it was intended for and will leave you a little more vulnerable

c) Think ahead and use a separate budget just for this kind of thing.

Obviously from the title of this post you know I am a "c".  I have a separate budget that is just for "stocking up" - sometimes called the "third purse system".

The idea is a simple one - I collect money from vouchers, coupons, reduced stickers plus what ever I can spare into one envelope.  This is used to buy long life items such as dry goods, tinned goods, toiletries and laundry products, and cat food wherever there is a saving.  These could be special offers, BOGOF or multibuy, reduced for quick sale, time limited offer (i.e. coupon), or simply from a shop which I do not normally visit due to geography.   

As I use the items I pay my envelope back from my grocery budget (these are all items that I would otherwise be willing to pay full price for).

How much does it save me?- well last month I saved about £32 on washing liquid capsules alone (courtesy of ASDA and a combination of rewards into my ASDA rewards app due to star products and and in-store special offer).  The stash of these will take four months to go through, £20 of this is rewards via the app so can be realised almost straight away the other £12 will dribble into this envelope over the next four months.  This was an exceptional offer I have to admit but would not have been possible without this envelope - I laid out £32 in cash up front to realise the £32 saving .  A more normal week would be saving £15-20 once you get a good "stock" going.

Just incase this sounds like too much work let me explain that I do the money transfer just once a week when I sit down and write my grocery list anyway- it take me about 10 minutes total and regularly saves me three figures a year.  The envelope does not need a weekly top up either (although it helps at first) as you're paying yourself back the full price.  For me it is a fair trade - how about you.?

More KDP goodies - this time it is cross stitch cats

 More in my KDP repertoire.  These are generated from a FlossCross chart which I have edited to make into a book - some singles, some collections.  The only bugbear is that Amazon seem to be clamping down on KDP as they now limit the number of books you can upload to three a day so I now spend my weekend making the books and then the weekday early mornings uploading three at a time.

Hera

willow

Bella

Amber

Gemma

Athena

Caesar

Sukie

Daisy

Toffee

Natalia

Jasmin

Sapphire

Smoky

 

Loki

Amazon KDP projects - cross stitch butterflies

 Having fun generating cross stitch patterns for sale on Amazon.  Lots of competition so not expecting many sales but still interesting to do.  Amazon lets you upload to KDP for free but revenue is dependent on sales which without paying for advertising can be small, however every little counts as they say...

Images below are linked to Amazon UK below but of course the same books are available worldwide.

Butterfly collection

My author pages..

Cat collection is under construction...

Cost of Living Crisis : cutting fuel bills : Not leaving things on standby

 Interesting read on the BBC news website today about "Vampire devices".  No I had not heard the term either!  These are electrical devices that are left on standby.  In the article here  it claims that most households waste £147 of electricity through items being left on standby every year, across the country that is nearly £2.2 bn. 

To quote the article:

"It may be convenient to leave the television on standby and wake it up with a press of a button on a remote - but it costs £24.61 per year, the research suggests, plus a further £23.10 for a set-top box, such as from Sky or Virgin Media.

And there's more:

• Microwave: £16.37

• Shower: £9.80

• Washing machine: £4.73

• Printer: £3.81

• Phone charger: £1.26"
• and Games console £12.17 and computers £11.12"

Now I cannot get to most of the plugs on things like consoles etc as they are hidden behind shelves etc  so up to now I have largely ignored this with the attitude that it can't be that much fuel we are wasting anyway - however these figures really make you think and as it points out you can buy plugs that will allow you to turn off the device.

A quick check on Amazon shows that a 3 pack with mechanical timers come in at about £14.99 so about a fiver each - these are definitely the easiest (and would stop my teenage sons being on the console at midnight!) but they are bulky - here is an example (please note not endorsing this particular model in any way!).  If you have already invested in something like Google Home or Alexa you can get plugs that you can control from your phone for a little less than double that.  I am now thinking that it is worthwhile sneaking a few of the mechanical ones into my budget; starting with the TV's and consoles followed by the microwave - even if they are turned off just at night time then they should recoup the cost over the course of a year and put more money into my pocket from then on in.

Any other belt tighteners that have a small initial investment?

Another ah-ha moment - the cost of living crisis how to pick yourself up and start again.

 Do you ever have a moment when you realise that you are just kidding yourself?  Mine came today as I handed over £150 (ish) at the supermarket for a weeks shopping for four adults.  I mean over £37 per person for (mostly) food.  What has happened to my finances and how can we beat this when there is more month than money.  I am extremely lucky - I am in the situation where I am not in danger of losing my home thanks to energy bills , I do not have to go to bed hungry or send my kids to bed hungry and I have no debt.  Part of this is hard work over the last 40 years - part of this is just plain luck. If you are in the middle ground where you are not going without food then the following thoughts may help.  If you are in the situation where it is about to lead to starvation or homelessness please seek professional help (citizens advice is a good first port of call) and good luck to you.

Now for the majority...

First it is easy to sleepwalk into this kind of situation when you need your days to be 34 hours long, it happens, and if it happens to you then just think thank goodness I noticed now and do something about it.  The fact you noticed is a win, take it.

Second, do yourself a favour and do a financial audit -list all your weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual or any other regular bills; are there any for subscriptions or memberships that you can cancel, even if you can't cancel immediately (for example you signed up for a minimum membership term) write it on the calendar or put it in your phone to cancel ASAP.  In my case there are a couple of subscriptions that I signed up to when I needed to homeschool my youngest son (post pandemic) hopefully the arrangement we have now will hold so these can be cancelled; if I need to later then I can always re-join.

Your financial audit should also point you at any debt like credit cards, store cards, overdrafts etc.  It goes without saying that as soon as inflation goes up the amount you pay in interest goes up too.  I am lucky personally that early on I prioritised paying off my debt and I have not had extreme enough emergencies to push me back there again.  Every penny that you pay off now over the minimum amount will save you more pennies later on.  Go to a site such as Moneysavingexpert and look at the advice from experts on how to consolidate/reduce/payoff etc your debt.  It doesn't have to be in one go - it has taken a long time to build up why would it be wiped out in one go? - but even if it is just overpaying the most expensive debt first take control and move the mountain out of your way once stone at a time.  Every penny that you overpay is a win, so is every time you resist adding to the mountain because you feel like hell.  Never underestimate the effect of mental happiness on spending - when we feel like cr*p we treat ourselves, be honest with yourself and if this is you then remind yourself that you will feel better for longer (not just a quick rush) when you clear the mountain you have buried yourself under and if you can treat the cause not the symptom and find out why you are unhappy.

Now that you have looked at the things that feel like they are beyond your control lets look at the food/household spending.  This is less of a big weekly saving and more of a steady drip drip but it does add up.  Have you fallen into the habit of buying set brand leaders for some of your shopping.  Have you stopped shopping around and only go to the nearest "average" supermarket to save time and hassle (that's me folks!). Have you had to return to the workplace and are relying on lunch deals or canteen food because you are not organised enough to bring in a pack lunch (guilty again). Are you stuck in a rut on the meals that you cook when you could substitute a few cheaper meals during the week (yes again).  I freely admit that I have (and repeatedly do) sleepwalk into all of these - it is my default of the least hassle way of life so when things get complicated (and there is plenty to get complicated with three autistic offspring) then this is what happens.  But you know what - everyone has their own personal point where this is true depending on personal circumstances, human beings are genetically programmed to save energy (mental and physical) the trick is when it does happen don't beat yourself up about it at the time and make up for it later.  It's not a wagon that you can't get back onto.

So having identified food spending as my major slipup I am off to inventory my cupboards and freezer, make a meal plan for the first time in a very long time...Restart my price book for long shelf life items.  Sign up to  a personal commitment of just once a week trying a new recipe and digging out the tupperware for packed lunches.  Wish me luck - I wish the same for you

Recipe ideas for £1 a head- Cost of Living Crisis

 Trying to find recipes that are a one size fits all is difficult as so much depends on personal circumstances. You Tube especially is rife with videos claiming to do a full week for x pounds and then you discover it is only 5 meals for 2 adults with no drinks/snacks/lunches/breakfasts etc (nope not going to say who...) or the videos are so old that the inflation rises have not been factored in. Or there are those people who have a large family so can bring the price down per head by buying the large economy packs which are less per 100 g than the standard sizes.  Not everyone has access to the same supermarkets so pricing can be widely variable across the UK and across the globe - that being said here are some lovely ladies who recently put out their own collab videos to try and give people ideas and I have found their claims to be far more realistic than most.  Hope you find some ideas to spark your own recipes.  Enjoy!

Cost of Living Crisis UK 2022 - where to go for food ideas

 Happy New Year 

All the Christmas leftovers have finally been used up and with return to school came the first biggish shopping trip of the new year.  Not good.  I bought less than normal to judge by the size of the pile in the trolley and even though we are now one adult person down (R is in Chichester at Uni) it was still over what I would have spent for 5 of us previously.  The BBC had a claim (backed by ONS) that the average family is now spending £15 a week more on food than previously and that is not hard to believe.  That is before National Insurance goes up, travel costs go up and fuel bills double - all to look forward to later in the year. 

So out of curiosity I had a look at a few items which where on my £15 a week experiment 

This was February 2021 so not quite a year ago and the cost was £14.96 how much would it cost item for item now?

500g margarine - was £1 now £1 but only because there is now an own brand one - otherwise same brand was £2!

500g mixed veg was 85p - now 1 kg is 89p ((500g bags only available in branded lines and over a quid)

Passata - last year 2@35p - now  49p ouch - even the tinned tomatoes (which were in short supply) were 45p a tin.

1 kg onions - was 65p now 99p

500 g red lentils - was £1.15, now £1.20

loaf of bread was 49p now 59p

2 pints milk was 80p now 89p

500g pasta was 45p now 55p

head of garlic was 39p now 39p

6 eggs was 75p now £1.09

1 kg sugar was 65p now 69p

baked beans last time 2@30p this time 2@30p

500g plain flour was 45p now 49p

1 kg frozen cauli and broccoli was 99p now 99p

350 g cheddar was £1.89 now £2

100g curry powder was 65p now 69p

mixed herbs was 95p now 95p

sausages was £1 now £1

tea bags was 55p now 55p

Total now £16.53 an increase of  10.4% - that really says it all doesn't it!

With my wage not having gone up since 2019 (and having the additional cost of homeschooling my autistic teenager (just don't ask!)) now is the time to revisit those savings goals  and look to making tweaks on our spending and I suspect it is the same for many on the lower end of the economic scale.  At least I have a job and can afford to save a few pennies here and there unlike many.

Not to be all doom and gloom here are a few UK style sites that give cheap recipe ideas.

Money saving expert forums OLD STYLE -  however a lot of their links are to old posts so don't trust the costings work it out for yourself, there are also other forums for getting yourself out of debt etc.

https://cheapfamilyrecipes.co.uk

https://thriftylesley.com/

Food - where have all the basics ranges gone in the UK?

Food.  We need it every day and yet it is the one thing that it is the most likely to be cut in terms of budget when times get hard.  It used to be possible to go to your average UK supermarket and be able to drop down to the value range on the usual basics.  These were no frills, not available on everything, but good value for feeding the family.  The supermarkets seem to have gone and silently removed these from the shelves over the last couple of years.  

At the moment all the focus in the news is on shortages on the shelves with the pandemic being blamed.  Yes, people isolating has caused problems in the supply chain BUT the bigger problem is the large number of foreign EU nationals who have gone home after BREXIT.  Yes folks it was our own governments policy as endorsed by fractionally over half the population who voted in the referendum.  Are you really surprised that people felt so unwelcome that they left the country?  We now have a national shortage of lorry drivers, builders, carers, nurses, doctors and a whole host of other occupations.  None of these people will be replaced quickly because they all have skills and qualifications that have taken years to learn.  Talk about own goal - thank you Boris for lying to people.

The food chain is something that we have been used to being constant and it comes as a shock to have shortages and seasonality playing more of a role, for people a hundred years ago this was everyday life; for us it is the end of our comfortable world.  It makes it a sellers market and the supermarkets can charge what they like.  Add that to the fact that a lot of people are struggling financially after months on furlough or losing their jobs it is a perfect storm. So when the basics range that you have been relying on disappears what do you do?

1) substitute, substitute, substitute- no recipe is set in stone; if you can substitute a cheaper alternative then just a few pence per meal can mean the difference between making the budget and blowing it.  My favourite tip comes from Jack Monroe who substitutes supermarket own baked beans in tomato sauce and washes the sauce off rather than use plain tinned pulses.  The difference is 10p per tin at my own supermarket.  Also most traditional recipes have some form of carbohydrates but rice, pasta, potatoes, noodles, can all be swapped to use what you have to hand

2) don't waste anything if you can help it - this means using those veggies whilst they are still in perfect condition, freezing things that are about to be wasted, getting to know a few stand by leftover friendly meals

3) watch those portions - good for the waistline and also the pocket and one that I can benefit from personally

4) team up with a mate to buy bulk sized packets and then split the goods and the price between you.  Supermarket tend to give better value weight for weight on larger packs; not so good if you are a couple or singleton as you either end up eating the same thing repeatedly or waste a load as you don't eat it before it goes off.

5) tinned and frozen are as nutritional as fresh when it comes to fruit and veg; another way of stopping throwing things away

6) shop your own cupboards- you probably have more food at home than you think.  Spend a while working out what you already have in the house; if you're lucky you can delay the "big shop" for a day or two, at the very least you can avoid adding to the tinned tomato mountain in the cupboard

7) Don't let brand loyalty/snobbishness rule what goes into your basket, try the cheaper alternatives, at the worst you'll know you don't like it

8) make a list, not just of things that you have run out of but of meals that you intend to make.  I don't call mine a meal plan as I like to be able to swap things around during the week but this is really what it is!

9) learn to cook your own.  Sometimes it is better to use the ready made version but often they are more healthy if you cook them yourself.  With You tube there has never been a better time to learn a new skill.

10) grow your own - but only if you already have all the kit.  If you are already a gardener then you will have the tools, pots, compost etc and it is only a packet of seeds but starting from scratch and you can find yourselves paying tens or even hundreds of pounds for a pretty meagre harvest.  Grow your own is also a skill and takes time to learn.

11) Learn from other people- yes sometimes the tips don't make sense to you but you never know there may be something you can adapt.

12) Learn the difference between "want" and "need", it may be that you are treating yourself more than you realise to things that cost money to help you through it all mentally.  Switch to cost free treats if you can, cut down the treats if you can't or switch to cheaper versions to save a few pennies.

Sewing Patterns for free

 As the restrictions continue to be lifted many employers are starting with a back to work policy and we can no longer work in our PJ's.

However, many of us have gained a pound or two and the thought of being in a shop is still scary for those of us who where shielding and are still vulnerable.

So here is a round up of some FREE sewing patterns for those crafty people amongst us.

1) crop shell top pattern- good for summer and for layering now the weather is getting cooler and best of all it does not use much fabric. https://amynicolestudio.com/krissa-crop-free-pattern/

2) short sleeve top - https://www.fibremood.com/en/patterns/447-frances-shirt

3) long or short kimono style jacket - https://www.fibremood.com/en/patterns/498-julia-jacket-long

4) long sleeve - assymetric top - https://georgeandgingerpatterns.com/products/the-40k-sway-top-pdf-sewing-pattern

5) 3/4 length sleeve top - https://www.seamwork.com/catalog/york

6) wrap dress - https://www.fibremood.com/en/patterns/609-charlotte-dress-short

7) sleeveless tank top - https://www.fabric.com/creativity-headquarters-free-pattern-downloads-flutter-by-tank-top-pattern-download.aspx

8) Peasant top  http://www.pages01.net/fabriccom/HPDLGypsopheliaPeasantTop

9) waistcoat - https://www.fabric.com/creativity-headquarters-free-pattern-downloads-shining-star-vest.aspx?cm_re=Free+Pattern+Downloads-_-SLOT+23-_-Free+Pattern+Downloads

10) Gored skirt with ruffles - https://www.fabric.com/creativity-headquarters-free-pattern-downloads-voodoo-chile-gored-skirt-pattern.aspx?cm_re=Free+Pattern+Downloads-_-SLOT+33-_-Free+Pattern+Downloads

11) maxi skirt - https://www.fabric.com/creativity-headquarters-free-pattern-downloads-tropicana-maxi-skirt-pattern.aspx?cm_re=Free+Pattern+Downloads-_-SLOT+31-_-Free+Pattern+Downloads

12) top with short puffed sleeves - https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/paddington-top/

13) pinafore https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/milton-pinafore/

15) wrap skirt -https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/wrapskirt/

16) half sleeve dress -https://fabrics-store.com/sewing-patterns/cora-half-sleeve-linen-dress

17) long cardigan - https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-willow-cardigan-free-sewing-pattern/

18) long sleeve t with a drape neckline https://freesewing.org/designs/diana/

19) half sleeve tunic - https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-vallea-tunic-free-sewing-pattern/

20) sleeveless top with centre front pleat - https://www.seamwork.com/catalog/sorbetto

22) lons sleeve cardigan - http://www.pages01.net/fabriccom/HDDLAspenCardigan/?cm_re=CHFreeDwnlds_AspenCardigan-_-crhdqtr_banner-_-Landing_AspenCardigan

23) jacket/ short coat - https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-kalmia-jacket-free-sewing-pattern/

24) wrap dress - https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-nyssa-dress-free-sewing-pattern/

25) "party" dress - https://rebecca-page.com/featured_item/portia-party-dress-ladies/

26) summer dress - https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/bardondress/

27) mary quant wrap dress - https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/sew-your-own-mary-quant-georgie-dress

28) top/dress, choose your own length - https://www.hallapatterns.com/products/agnes-swing-top-dress

29) long sleeve wrap dress - https://fabrics-store.com/sewing-patterns/noor-noor-wrap-dress-pattern

30) tulip hem Tee - https://www.patternsforpirates.com/product/tulip-tee/

The Original One Pot Wonder - Student/Post Furlough food: Spanish Omelette or tortilla

 "The oven won't turn off".  The words I was greeted with by my 19  year old on return from an emergency dental appointment.  The cooker, which was second hand when we moved in 18 years ago, had finally given up the ghost.  Cue about 8 hours of drama whilst we turned off the gas to the house and tried to get a gas engineer during a pandemic where over a million people are isolating in the UK alone.  Finally after an emergency call out fee of £200 we had the cooker made safe - and had a hob but no oven. We could get a new cooker but couldn't get it installed for three and a half weeks (did I mention the number of people isolating).   Now we are nearing the end of the tunnel (2 nd of August can't come soon enough), we are sick and tired of pasta and rice and need to find £700 for the callout, new cooker, installation and disposal of the old one added together; oh and the "hot zone" has to be a minimum size above the cooker or they can't install it (cue adding more tiles to extend it up the wall behind the hob and to either side which has necessitated taking down a kitchen cupboard and three shelves!  More money and a storage problem which we are kicking down the road for now). 

So, this is an ideal protein packed recipe that I often forget. It is cheap, filling, carnivore or veggie depending on what you put in it and can use up the debris left in the bottom of the veggie rack to avoid food waste and postpone that trip to the shops.  As always the basic basic version, plus ideas to jazz it up.

Spanish Omelette (serves 3-4)

1 onion, sliced

oil

300 g potatoes, cooked and cut into chunks

5 large eggs

Make sure you have a large frying pan, ideally one that fit under a grill but this is not totally necessary.

Soften the onion in the oil, add the potatoes and stir until the onions are just starting to get a little brown on the edges (not too much or they will be bitter).

Break the eggs into a bowl or mug and lightly beat together to break up the yolks.  Spread the veggies out into a thin layer and then pour in the eggs and turn down the heat.  Now watch the edge of the pan- you should see the egg mixture at the edges start to turn solid, , this will spread over the bottom of the pan, do not stir.  When it looks like only the very top is still wet then either flip to the other side (use a plate to turn it over) or if your frying pan has a heat proof handle put under a hot grill.  After about another minute the omelette is done.

Variations:

Add chopped peppers to the onions at the start of the recipe

Add sliced mushrooms

Add chopped chilli

Add chopped bacon when you add the potatoes

Add leftover roast meat or sausages (already cooked) or meat alternatives just before you add the eggs

Use tinned potatoes instead of fresh

Use leftover roasted veggies

Add garlic

Use leeks instead of onion

Add chopped chives (garlic chives are good) or use the tops from garlic or onion plants from the garden if you are growing them

Add mixed frozen veggies after the onion but before the potatoes to allow to thaw and start to heat through

Add herbs such as thyme or basil

Add chopped or sliced tomatoes (especially good for cherry tomatoes that are overripe)

Add spinach or kale to the onion

Add grated cheese to the top before putting under the grill

Serve hot or cold, on it's own or with salad

Need help managing money and dealing with debt- new website Moneyhelper

Here in the UK and probably round the world a significant proportion of the population has struggled with money over the last year.  We have people who have lost their jobs because the business has folded, been on furlough with a reduced salary for months on end (me!), been made redundant as businesses have had to slim down, or lost part of a family income because of a COVID death to name a few.  Meanwhile being bored at home has meant more online spending as a trend.  

As part of the recovery for the economy from what has been a year when the borrowing the government has had to do is the highest since WW2 the government (the money and pensions service) has launched a new website called Money helper. The idea is that it is a one stop shop for advice for savings, pensions, benefits, debt management, and everyday spending and taking control of your money here in the UK and there are advisors online to talk to live, and all of this for FREE.  If you are struggling don't wait for it to get really bad before taking control of the situation; and if you are about to transition to another milestone in life (new baby, retirement etc) find out the pitfalls that are waiting for you- it is worth a look.

Post Furlough/Student Food: Stuffed Potato Galette

 Anyone who reads through this blog knows that I am a big fan of the humble spud for bulking out other ingredients without breaking the bank.  This recipe is a kind of stuffed potato pancake filled with what could be left overs and cooked on the stove top not the oven.  It would be pretty difficult to find another one that sounds more like me!  Not only that but it uses mashed potato so you can use the store cupboard instant stuff if you need to which can make it FAST.  Served with some vegetable matter on the side it serves 4 amply.

Stuffed Potato Galette - serves 4

for the minced meat filling:

olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

300 grams of minced beef

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chilli

chopped fresh parsley

Fot the potato dough:

800 g potatoes, peeled

1 egg

salt and pepper

approximately 200 g plain flour

For assembly

50-60 g grated cheese

Make the meat filling whilst the potatoes are cooking. Fry the onion in some olive oil until soft. Add the crushed garlic and the minced beef and cook breaking up any lumps with a spoon. Once the meat is brown add the spices and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until the aroma really gets going. Stir in the fresh herbs and set aside to cool.

Boil the potatoes untill tender, mash and allow to cool until at least cold enough to touch. With your hands make this into a dough with the egg and enough flour so it holds its shape and is not wet. Depending on your potatoes and how starchy they are this may be more or less flour. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.

Using baking parchment draw a pencil line the size of your frying pan, turn the parchment pencil side down and using the first piece of dough flatten the dough into a circle that fits the shape you have just drawn. Now we are going to assemble the galette in the pan.

Put the pan onto a medium to low heat and add a little oil. Put the first circle of dough into the pan and top with half of the cheese, followed by the meat mixture followed by the remainder of the cheese. Leave a border round the edge so that the dough can be pressed together to seal. Quickly flatten the second piece of dough in the same way and the first and place on top of the filling. Press all round the edges with a fork or spoon to seal the two layers of dough together.

After about 5 minutes sneak a peak at the underside of the dough, it should be brown. Turn the galette over to cook the other side with the help of a plate. and cook for 2-3 minutes on the second side.

Serve with salad or other vegetables on the side.

Variations and tips:

Since the potatoes for the dough have to be cold before use anyway make the most of your fuel and make this dish the day after you have potatoes for dinner and cook double. In the summer I do a big batch an turn half into potato salad and half into this recipe.

Make it veggie - instead of the meat mixture use sauteed mushrooms and other veggies such as peppers and courgettes. Or use vegetables that you have oven roasted previously (making good use of the oven by cooking them at the same time as something else of course).

Flavour the mince meat with different herbs and spices. This version is flavoured with chilli but you could make it more Italian by adding basil and oregano and a squirt of tomato puree. You could make it more Greek by using oregano and a little cinnamon. Use spice mixtures such as ras-al-hanout or Z'atar to flavour the meat. Use other meat instead of the minced beef.

Instead of cooking the meat from scratch use leftover spag bol sauce, or chilli. Leftover curry also works but with this leave out the cheese.

This also make a good recipe to add to the mix if you are into doing a freezer cooking day using minced beef.

In this recipe you need a cheese that melts nicely but this could be Cheddar, something like a mozarella or even a blue cheese.

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Best tutorial I have seen in a long time.  Starting on making my bundles for listing now!

Food for 1 week - a Sainsbury's v Morrisons comparison

 I am ashamed to say that I do not use my nearest supermarket.  For me I have spent years comparing items pricewise and Sainsburys has come out more expensive overall.  However, recently they have introduced a price match for ALDI which means that suddenly the odd item here and there is cheaper than where I usually do my shop (Morrisons).  With this is mind I revisited my £15 meal plan and compared item for item to see if it would be cheaper.

In short the total is cheaper - instead of £14.96 the total would be £14.17 but the devil as they say is in the detail...

1)First up margarine £1.00 using an item on offer at Morrisons when the post was written

Price is the same (albeit for own brand) - interestingly own brand at Morrisons would be slightly more expensive if they did not have an offer.

2) 500 g frozen mixed veg 85p at Morrisons

A winner at Sainsbury's thanks to the price match

3) Passata - 35p per carton at Morrisons

40p per carton at sainsburys - not so good

4) 1 kg of onions - 65p at Morrisons

a whole 20p more expensive at Sainsbury's

5) 500 g red lentils £1.15 from Morrisons

same price

6) Loaf of bread (800g for 49p at Morrisons)

Price match to the rescue again - a 13p saving at Sainsbury's

7) 2 pints whole milk - 80p at Morrisons

no change in price - not a big surprise really...

8) 500 g pasta 45p at Morrisons

Sainsburys is a loser this time at 10p more expensive

9) 1 head garlic - 45p at Morrisons

A nice surprise to find a 20 p saving here!

10) 6 eggs for 75 p at Morrisons

15 p more expensive at Sainsbury's

11)1 kg of granulated sugar 65p

This one looks like it is cheaper but look at the pack size - gram per gram it is more expensive and would last me half as long BUT if the bottom line is the total at the checkout this week then it saves me 15p on the total bill - you pays your money you takes your choice...

12) Own brand baked beans 30p per tin from Morrisons

Price match again - 9p per tin saving

13) 500 g plain flour - 45p at Morrisons

Same price BUT look at the pack size.  Thanks to price match this is a massive 3x the amount for the same cost OR I could have chosen to have a pack the same size for a 5p saving...

14) 1 kg frozen cauliflower/ broccoli 99p at Morrisons

£1 at Sainsbury's - let's call this one a draw...

15) £1.89 for 350g cheese

smaller price saving 39p off the total BUT for a smaller pack (the next nearest was 400g of cheese for £2)

16) 100g curry powder 65p

15p more expensive at Sainsbury's

17)  Mixed herbs 95p

10 p saving

18) 8 pack of sausages £1

20 p saving thanks to price match

19) 80 value tea bags 55p 

Half as many teabags for 15p definite loser for the final item.

So what is the conclusion-.  Well as a generalisation the ALDI price match makes all the difference.  You can find out what is included by following the link on the Sainsbury's Groceries homepage  and this includes over 250 items at the latest.

One of the highlights is the 1kg of rice for 45p which would make a good substitution for the pasta in my original list and give more food in the long run for the same price (yes at a pinch one form of carbs is pretty much like another).  Other things like eggs, flour, teabags are geared towards the bigger value packs though - great if you are scaling up to feed a family - or can operate on a monthly budget, not so good if you are hand-to-mouth on a week by week budget.  I still cannot get all the way down to £10 for 1 person without cheating and using value packs and proportional pricing - well not unless you want baked beans on toast for lunch and dinner for 7 days!  What it really underlines is that it is very rarely cheaper on everything when you compare one shop with another and you also have to weigh up things like travel costs as well.  Using a price book (and stocking up if you can) for groceries that have a long shelf life does help, so can combining journeys like the work commute (assuming you still do one) so long as you are disciplined and don't fall for the offers etc instore.  Finally, don't forget that if you can have a little wiggle room in your food budget for emergencies this will help with the mindset as there is nothing that will make you stick to your old (bad) ways more than knowing even if you don't like it you have to eat it or go hungry;  just remember even an emergency tin of beans or soup will do and try that recipe you have been recommended by your mate - it might even change your mind.

Post Furlough/Student Food: World's cheapest soup? Potato Soup

 With the wind and rain blowing a hoolie this morning soup springs to mind for lunch.  I have previously done a "cream of anything" soup post which made the use of those veggies that are about to go in the bin - incidentally it is also great made with tinned or frozen veggies as well.  This time this is the cheapest (thick) soup that I can think of - at it's most simple it is just stock, potatoes and a splash of oil and so can be really cheap, but of course it would not be one of my recipes if I did not include some variations if you have extra money in your budget or ingredients in your fridge/cupboard.  It begins to sound like the real life version of Stone Soup.

Potato Soup (serves 4)

450 g potatoes, peeled and cubed

Splash of oil

Stock to barely cover (can be homemade or from a cube) ~ 1 1/2 pints

In a large pot toss the potatoes in the oil and allow to saute for a few minutes until just starting to begin to start to colour.

Add the stock and bring to the boil.  Simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Mash with a potato masher or use a stick blender.  Add extra liquid to get desired thickness.  Serve

Variations:

Ah where to begin...

When you add the extra liquid use milk or cream instead of stock.  I have even used skim milk powder instead of fresh milk, still adds a creamy flavour.

Add a chopped onion to the potatoes, allow to soften for as long as possible before adding the liquid.

Use sweet potatoes instead of all "normal" spuds

Add cooked bacon for extra flavour

Add grated cheese for extra flavour

If garlic is you thing then add some garlic along with the potatoes

Add chopped leek to the potatoes

Add chopped chives or chopped dill on the herbs front.

Add curry powder or garam masala (mix into the veggies after they are softened in the oil but before the stock and allow to become fragrant before adding the liquid)