News

Just a quickie because I'm shattered and haven't even thought about dinner yet but.... drum roll... I have a job interview! Eeeeek! On Monday so it's pretty short notice but I'm really excited. It's my first interview in years so I'm being realistic but what's the worst that can happen? I get some practice at having interviews. Whatever the outcome this is really positive... now I just have to find something smart to wear.

A Bit of Mid-Week Luxury

Isn't it great when you find something hidden away in the freezer that you've forgotten all about?
That's what happened to me today. Having ordered my supermarket on-line shop I decided to reorganize my freezer to make room for both the frozen goods I've ordered and the batch cooking I plan to do at the weekend. To my surprise and delight, lurking at the back of the middle shelf, behind a tub of homemade soup were two salmon steaks!

I remember buying them some time ago when they were on half price offer, and as they were all individually wrapped I threw away the large bag they were in when I was making room before Christmas. Without that big, unnecessary bag however, they went unnoticed. Until today.

I've cut a potato into wedges, wrapped one of the salmon steaks in foil and popped in the oven. I'll serve with peas, or maybe a bit of salad. And a glass of homemade wine; well why not? Every girl deserves a little luxury sometimes and it's even nicer when it's unexpected.

Surprise Spuds

Yesterday I made it out into the garden for the first time this year. It was a little grey and blustery but surprisingly warm so I thought I'd make the most of the lack of rain and make a start on my little patch of mud. It's a very small garden and a slightly odd shape, getting wider as it runs the width of the cottage. I have no back garden at all so any veg I grow is right out there for all to see.

I didn't have much luck with veg last year having started quite late in the season, and fighting a losing battle with slugs, but I did have a few tubs of salad stuff and planted runner beans and potatoes in between the flowers. I got a few meals out of it and there is nothing nicer than home grown, so all things considered I was happy.

Fast forward to yesterday and I decided to do a bit of weeding and digging. A mild, wet winter means weeds that would normally have died off have flourished and it was back breaking work. Finally I was ready to begin turning over the soggy soil in anticipation of a rich harvest this year and look what I found...

Several spuds I'd missed last year! 

Pitta Pizza

Quick, easy, very cheap and extremely tasty; I think I almost prefer these to proper pizzas!

Take one pitta bread (I used wholemeal), spread with tomato puree and top with whatever you fancy. I added a pinch of mixed herbs, a sprinkling of grated cheese, sliced onions, half a tomato and a few tiny bits of frozen mixed peppers.

I was hungry and in a rush so I forgot to weigh the cheese so couldn't work out exactly what it cost but I'm guessing around 30p altogether. The pitta bread cost just 8p but could be less if using a value range.

It was a surprisingly filling snack and certainly satisfied the 'junk' food craving I had, but served with salad would make a perfectly good meal and as long as you don't go overboard on the topping, pretty healthy too. I'll definitely be making these again.

Woeful Wednesday

Today I had to make my fortnightly visit to the job centre, not high on anyone's list of  'fun things to do', but Wednesdays are one of the days I can't get a bus directly from the village I live in making the already limited bus service even more inconvenient. It's about a mile and a half walk to the bus stop and that walk includes a rather large hill; throw in a cold wind and pouring rain and what is a pleasant stroll in summer months becomes a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

I ended up being out for hours, cold and wet from the outset, so I abandoned my plan to get off the bus early on the way home to pick up my prescription. By then I was chilled to the bone after spending hours in wet jeans and a 'waterproof' coat that can't cope with more than a shower or two. I know I'm going to regret it when I have to undertake the seven mile round trip to the doctors tomorrow but I just couldn't face walking any further than I absolutely had to today.

I have got my driving test booked for next month though... keep your fingers crossed for me and soon these soggy treks may be a thing of the past.

I've been home a few hours now and I still haven't really warmed up but I've swapped my coffee for hot chocolate and I'm snuggled up under a fleecy throw so I should defrost eventually. I just wish these awful old storage heaters worked better. they never really seem to do more than take the chill off. I think I'll find something quick and easy to do for dinner, I don't want to be standing in the kitchen for too long tonight. I think I still have a portion of hotpot in the freezer, maybe even a cottage pie. It's days like today I'm glad I always freeze any leftovers, it means I can enjoy a home cooked meal without any of the effort.

Chicken Stew 51p

A bit later than I planned after forgetting to switch on my slow cooker, I tucked into chicken stew yesterday. On a cold winters day there can be nothing better than stew.

I'd defrosted one large chicken breast and popped that in the slow cooker whole on top of the veg. Cooked slowly like that it's wonderfully tender and breaks apart easily when I stir the stew before serving.

Into the slow cooker went *
1 large chicken breast  56p (asda smart price £3.33 for 1kg)
3 medium carrots 17p (57p 1kg)
2 small parsnips   21p(74p 500g)
2 medium potatoes 12p (£1.50 2,5kg)
1 large red onion 10p (£1 1kg)
1 leek   26p ( £1 500g)
2 sticks celery  5p (49p)
2 stock cubes   6p (75p for 12)
1 mug of water
towards the end of cooking I added
frozen peas 20p (£1.30 1kg)
frozen peppers 30p (£1 500g)
seasoning**
cornflower for thickening**

There should easily be at least four hearty servings which means it works out at around 51p per portion. Not bad at all for a tasty dinner.

* All items bought from Asda. Although some things may be cheaper elsewhere I usually do one big supermarket shop every few weeks and have that delivered, saving me on bus fares and the sheer effort involved in dragging it all home on public transport.
** I haven't included seasoning and cornflower in the overall costings as these are minimal and down to personal preference anyway.

What do you think?

I've been playing around with the look of my blog, what do you think? I'm still not sure it's what I'm after but it's definitely brighter and that's a start. It just looked so dismal and depressing before. Struggling to make ends meet can be depressing enough without looking at more grey, don't you think? It's time to lighten and brighten myself up and that means with my blog too.

I hope you like it, but all that veg has reminded me I haven't put the slow cooker on yet. Ooops. I better get that chicken stew started if I want to eat tonight.